


After All This Time

by MyskY



Series: Identification [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, Hiroshi's Letters, Major Character Injury, Mystery, Post and Mentions of Turf Wars and Ruins of the Empire, kind of?, some canon divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:01:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 55,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26935552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyskY/pseuds/MyskY
Summary: Do you see it? Do you feel it? A year after Kuvira, Asami takes the plunge and reads her father’s letters. Shadows creep on the shoulders of not only Asami Sato, but the United Republic. Citizens are disappearing. Citizens are demanding action. Emotions are running high for everyone, but the spark is only beginning. It only takes a spark to ignite a flame to reduce everything to ashes.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Series: Identification [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2061105
Comments: 54
Kudos: 85





	1. The Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Part I: Accumulations (Chapters 1-6)  
> Part II: Wounds (Chapters 7-12)  
> Part III: Discovery (Chapters 13-?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: October 10, 2020

_"No matter how far we come, our parents are always in us."_

_\- Brad Meltzer_

* * *

A young child sat up in her bed, admiring the woman speaking about old fables and folklores of their native land and current home. How she described the times of war and segregation between nations made it seem almost like reality, a stark contrast to what reality really was. Though the elder of the two had not been alive during those times, her mother was a teenager experiencing the scrutiny of being from the Fire Nation.

She wanted her daughter to know of her native nation’s roots so she would not make the same mistakes her ancestors had. While there had been no major war in the world such as the Hundred Year War, she knew peace could never last. Things would once again fall out of balance in some capacity. Whether the balance would dissipate during her time or her daughter’s was unknown, but it was better to be proactive.

“My mother faced scrutiny from other nations whenever she traveled outside of the Fire Nation shortly after the war ended. Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko declared the war over and made strides towards peace, but it can be difficult to break old habits. There were holdouts who still believed Fire Lord Ozai’s ploy to control all four nations, but in a few years times, they too were subdued.”

Her daughter never faced the scrutiny of being a descendant of the Fire Nation. Being born over half a century subsequent after the war was a helpful factor, but she believed there was another reason. The reason being the sparkling green eyes gazing at her. It wasn’t a matter of possibility, but certainty that those lovely eyes would captivate and enthrall anyone who gazed into them long enough.

She feared even those eyes wouldn’t be able to save her someday though. There were rumbles of nonbenders rebelling against benders in Republic City. She feared her daughter would grow up and be seen as the enemy. Neither she nor her husband were benders. She predicted the same fate for her daughter.

“And that’s why we live in Republic City! A place where nobody can be judged for any part of their character and individuality! It’s a safe haven for all.” The little girl bounced on her bed and clapped her hands excitedly with a wide smile.

“Yes, Asami, that’s what Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko sought to achieve here.” She smiled proudly at her daughter, wishing she would stop growing up. Time went by so quickly. “But if anyone tries to threaten you, they’ll have to get through me and your father.” She reached down and tickled her sides, making both of them giggle out in joy. “Bedtime, missy. Your father’s taken the day off tomorrow, and we’re all going to the zoo.”

People always saw her as the daughter of Hiroshi Sato, CEO of Future Industries, and one day, his successor. Despite her young age, she already showed an interest in her father’s work, but she was also a normal kid. Her mother made sure of that.

When Asami was finally laying down and all tucked in, she leaned down and kissed her forehead and cheeks. “I love you, Asami, my beautiful green-eyed princess. We’ll always protect you.” Her fingers tucked a stray piece of her black hair behind her ears and received a wide grin.

“I love you too, Mom.”

Yasuko moved to walk out of her daughter’s room, pausing in the doorway. Asami had finally closed her eyes, letting her mind rest and recharge. Yasuko never imagined her life could be like this: married to one of the wealthiest individuals in Republic City, perhaps the world and a young, beautiful daughter that was showing signs of being brilliant yet humble.

With a soft click of the light, Yasuko closed Asami’s door and headed towards her room.

The next day, Asami and her parents visited the zoo. Animals from all parts of the world were showcased in magnificent habitats. Asami was jovial, skipping from one exhibit to another with a big red balloon tied to her wrist as her parents followed closely behind arm and arm.

One minute, Asami was viewing the rabaroos hop around their exhibit, the next, a loud slap rung in her ear. Asami turned around in horror as the world around her shattered and transformed into a nightmare. She tried to run to her parents, but an invisible field prevented her from reaching them. She desperately clawed at it, but she couldn’t pierce it. The balloon tied to her wrist popped loudly, making the string tied to her wrist useless. She was helpless as she watched her parents in two different dimensions and timelines.

To her left, Kuvira’s mecha arm smashed the hummingbird mecha suit, leaving behind the crumbling remains of the suit and her father as she floated safely to the ground.

And to her right, her parent’s bedroom was a disaster, the window broken in, and her mother’s appearance a strew with her raven hair a wild mess. Panting heavily, an intruder slowly loomed towards her. Cornered, weaponless, and alone, all she had was her fists. The intruder jumped and geared up a blistering fire fist. The vision became nothing but a blistering of red, hot flames and pain-stricken screams.

The visions kept replaying over and over with no end in sight. The young girl wept and fell to the black floor, curled into a ball, in the suspended space, wishing it was all a dream.

Asami jolted awake with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead and panting as if she just ran a marathon. It was all a dream based on real events.

Her mother loved to tell her late-night stories when her father had to work late. She could make even the most boring stories and events captivating, connecting with the audience. It made her think that if she and Varrick worked together to produce a mover, making her lightly laugh thinking of how her mother would set him straight. And her father sacrificed himself for Republic City.

Swinging her legs off the bed, she headed towards the bathroom. She twisted the faucet on and splashed cool water against her heated face. Looking in the mirror, she thought about everything that happened the last few years. By just observing her face, no one would guess all the international conflicts she’d been engaged in. It was funny to think that if she never hit Mako, she might’ve never been as involved as she was.

During the day, she felt completely fine and her usual self. Future Industries was doing great, the world was peaceful for the most part, and she and Korra were as strong as ever. However, as night fell, her parents dominated her dreams and unconscious. Perhaps it was a slight bug from Bataar Jr’s reversal of her brainwashing. Then again, she never properly grieved her father’s death between being kidnapped and the holdouts of Kurvira’s army then getting swept up in work and spending all her free time with Korra.

She returned to bed, trying to clear her mind, but the rest of the night, she tossed and turned trying to get sleep that was futile. By the time six rolled around, she gave up and got ready for the day.

It was the weekend so she was free all day barring any issues at work. The plan was to meet up with Korra on Air Temple Island, but with an additional task to be settled now.

For several minutes, Asami sat on the edge of her bed with her hands in her clasped together in her lap, trying to find the confidence she needed to do this. The only sound she could hear was the frantic beating of her chest. A deep sigh escaped her ruby lips before she leaned down to the bottom drawer of her nightstand.

There laid her father’s unopened letters and his personal family portrait he always had.

Through all the destruction and chaos in Republic City, the jail stood loud and proud, not a metal column out of place. Lin was very much aware of Hiroshi’s sacrifice. Upon cleaning out his cell, she stumbled upon the letters. They were no use to her and usually they’d be tossed in the garbage, but after everything she and the others had gone through, ultimately gave Asami the final decision on the fate of the letters.

With everything going on, the letters were the last thing on her mind. The estate had plenty of old family portraits, but knowing this was the one her dad always carried on his person made it sentimental to her. They had their differences, but there was a significant difference between knowing your father was in jail for treacherous crimes and him being killed right in front of you.

The weight and feel of the letters in her hands felt like the entire world. Those letters contained the final words of him, words she never read. All she knew for certain was that first letter arrived sometime around time the Bolin’s mover was released.

Looking out her front door, if she squinted hard enough, a tiny blip in the distance was Air Temple Island. Korra split her time between her mansion and Air Temple Island. Though they’d been together for a little over a year now, Korra had yet to officially move into her mansion despite the fact that for all intents and purposes, it was basically her home even if she didn’t sleep there every night.

With the letters tucked safely in her purse, she headed towards Air Temple Island to visit her girlfriend and begin a new journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was debating whether to post this or not before I finished it, and I finally pulled the plug. I will not be posting the rest of this story until I finish it as a heads up. I hope to start officially publishing it sometime next month though. It's been years since I've written a full-on story in 3rd person so bear with me. Also, I'm new to posting on Ao3, anyone wanna help me with that? Lol!
> 
> Anyway, let me guys know what you think. The letters and Asami's parents are the secondary plot point (but very important nonetheless), and the primary conflict hasn't been introduced yet just to give you a little taste of what to expect. And of course, there'll be many Korrasami moments. We will meet again!


	2. Musings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: November 1, 2020

_"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking."_

_― Albert Einstein_

* * *

The ferry ride over was just what Asami needed. It gave her time to attempt to cleanse her mind. Lulling waves beat against the boat and mist spilled over the edge. Wind softly caressed her face, exemplifying that wind could be a soothing element, but she knew the deadliness of it firsthand.

The first letter had appeared when she was at a low point. She was at a breaking point for herself and for Future Industries. Everything was crumbling under her command. Future Industries was failing. Deep down in her heart, she knew it wasn't because of her management, but because of her father's ties to the Equalists. She wanted to believe she could be a savior, but the numbers were showing she wasn't strong enough.

If the creeping red in her ledgers wasn't enough, coming home to a letter with a timestamp from the police was the icing on the cake. All she could see was red, beyond furious that her father thought he had the audacity to write to her after everything he'd done not only to her, but countless of innocent civilians. But she couldn't find it in her heart to burn or shred the letter out of existence. Instead, she threw it in an empty drawer without a second thought and never to be seen again.

That was until another letter came. And another. And another. For years, this routine went on. Some heard profanities. Some heard crashes. Some were privy to angry, hot tears. But each and every one met the same fate of being shoved in a dank, dark drawer filled with words from her father. She so desperately wanted to forget him and all those words he'd written.

She stepped off the dock boat after thanking the captain, but then looked back at the boat as a few acolytes boarded to visit the main land. During her brief visits to the Southern Water Tribe, she noticed the various vehicles such as jet skis and snowmobiles. They were built to withstand the harsh conditions of snow, ice, and water. The only reason she was thinking about this was because Varrick approached her a few days ago about collaborating on a mode of transportation that could be used on land and water.

As if they had a sixth sense, the airbending kids found Asami on her way up and engulfed her in an airbender hug. Since she didn't have siblings, she saw them as her pseudo siblings over the years, watching them grow and become their own person.

"Where's Korra?" she asked, pulling away from their hug.

"Where do you think?" Ikki giggled, bouncing on her toes. "She may be the Avatar, but you wake her up before the sun rises for mediation, she'll immediately return to bed afterwards."

Over the last year, Asami became well aware that Korra was not a morning person and likely never would be. She'd witnessed it from the outside when they were friends, but seeing it in person was another experience. If she opened the curtains while the sun was rising, Korra would hiss violently and pull the covers over her head. Asami would only laugh under her breath, leaning down to pull the blanket down enough to get a parting kiss before heading off to work. The scene of her twenty-two-year old girlfriend acting like a child shouldn't have made her love her more.

Since the sun had risen over the horizon a while ago, she saw no harm in disturbing her sleep. She lightly knocked on her door and called out to her, but she didn't respond. She opened the door to find her sprawled out on the bed, tangled in the blankets which brought a smile to her face.

Asami sat on the edge of the bed and twirled a tendril of Korra's short hair. The tip of her index finger caressed her cheek back and forth and even ran along the ridge of her nose which made her nose scrunch up.

This carried on for a few more minutes until Korra's eyes finally cracked open to the wonderful sight of her girlfriend leaving feathery traces all along her face.

"Hi," she greeted softly with a sleepy smile, leaning up on her elbows, "good morning. I wasn't expecting to see you this early, but it's a very welcome sight."

"Good morning to you too." Asami caressed Korra's cheek and gave her a good morning kiss, one of her favorite morning rituals. "You should've come over after meditating."

"That's too much effort when I'm still half asleep and the sun's not up." She flopped back onto her back, but cracked an eye at her. "Unless you spontaneously planned something for us to do today?"

Asami hesitated, pulling on the strap of her purse. Korra sensed something was bothering her. Any lingering sleepiness vanished. She sat up, leaned forward with dipped eyebrows and placed a hand on her thigh. She wasn't used to seeing such timid body cues from her.

"What's wrong?"

Biting her bottom lip and still fingering her purse strap, she answered, "Lately, I've been having dreams. Dreams about my parents."

"Your parents?" Korra asked, eyebrows raised. This was the first time she'd heard about her parents in a while. It wasn't a topic that came up in casual conversation. "How long's this been going on? Do you want to talk about it?"

She nodded her head slightly and pulled out the unopened letters from her bag. "These are the letters he sent me over the years. I gave them back to him when I initially visited him, but he must've kept them because Lin gave them to me when she cleaned out his cell."

"I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me?"

She sighed, asking herself that same question and tapping the letters with her fingers. "When he initially sent these letters, I shoved them in a drawer and they only ever saw the light of day when a new one arrived because I was so mad and hurt. I think I wanted to preserve the last good interaction I had with him and not taint it with what was in between him getting arrested and him sacrificing himself. But the dreams are becoming more frequent, more vivid and based on real events I remember. Something's telling me it's time to open them for a proper closure with my dad."

Korra wrapped one arm around Asami's shoulders and leaned her forehead against hers, tenderly whispering, "I'm here for you, baby. You can count on it. Always."

While Korra showered and got dressed, Asami helped Pema in the kitchen. As she was washing a plate, a crying Rohan ran in, wailing that he'd cut his leg on a rock outside. Pema moved to help him, but Asami waved her off. It wasn't deep or big, but enough to leave a small trail of blood. Cleaning him up caused a flash of a memory of Hiroshi wrapping up her hand after she'd cut it on glass.

"Stay inside, Rohan. Korra'll be out soon, and she'll ease the pain." Asami blinked away tears remembering him caring for her. He scampered off to bug his siblings, thankfully without asking for a lock of her hair.

"It's so sweet watching you take care of them like that and hanging out with them. Neither of you have any obligation anymore, but you're still here." Pema had big smile on her face having turned to lean back against the counter.

Asami stood back up, but didn't move to return to washing dishes. "Of course, Pema. Korra and I love those little airbenders. They're not so little anymore are they though?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "No, no they're not. It really hit Tenzin and me when Jinora received her tattoos. Nowadays, they're off doing their own thing more often than hanging out with their mother." She stepped closer to Asami and placed a hand on her shoulder. A kind smile was on the mother's lips. "You should ask her."

Asami's eyebrows dipped in confusion. "Ask her what?"

"To move in with you full-time, honey. You're both welcome on the island anytime you please. We all love having you here, but I think it's time she spreads her wings. She's an adult, she's the _Avatar_. It's time for her to begin the next chapter of her life with you, Asami."

* * *

"You're all fixed up, little man. Now, don't go splitting your leg open or you'll be visiting the hospital and giving your mom a heart attack." Korra ruffled the hair on the top of his head. He scuffled off without a second glance at them. "What? No thank you?"

"Thanks, Korra!"

"I pray that Pema doesn't end up with another Meelo in Rohan," Korra muttered and began leading Asami to the meditation gazebo. It was the perfect temperature, not too hot and not too cold. Birds chirped and flew overhead, providing music to an otherwise silent part of the island.

The two women took a seat against the wooden railing. The lone Sato pulled one letter out, staring at the timestamp and her name and address in what she remembered as her father's penmanship.

"This is the first one he sent. They all have a timestamp and my name and address," she whispered, stating the obvious.

Korra saw the woman she loved in emotional turmoil. Asami had been blessed with the opportunity to forgive and collaborate with her father one last time and even expressed her love for him despite everything. She wasn't obligated to, but as if almost no time had passed between them, they still worked like a well-oiled machine together. Neither of them could've predicted how the events that day would've turned out and how final everything would become. The letters were some of the last things she had of her father. She wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. Korra rested her head against her shoulder, patiently waiting for her to take the first step.

Minutes later, Asami broke the seal. The sound of it breaking might as well have been a cannon going off in her ears. Her heart began racing, anxiety rushing through her about what was going to be revealed.

_Asami,_

_These last several months have been some of the most trying of my life. Staring at these cold metal walls as time slowly ticks by has given me all the time in the world to think about my actions, what my life has become because of them. The few moments of outside time I am allowed a day, I see a new world. It's a world I wish I was lucky enough to share with you. I now see and understand that although neither you nor I a bender, it does not make us inferior to them._

_I have encountered criminals from all nations and backgrounds in here. It's ultimately the individual who has the responsibility to be a dutiful citizen, a respectful person to not suppress others and help those in need. When I was younger, that was my life's goal with Future Industries, but the last decade of my life has done the exact opposite of that. I took my beliefs to the extreme to avenge your mother's death, but you were right. Your mother would be ashamed of me. I'm ashamed of myself in ways you could never imagine._

_I hear Future Industries is in the red and on the brink of bankruptcy. She is bleeding, pleading for her life, wheezing and hanging on to the tiny sliver of life inside of her that is you, Asami. I've ruined the business that was meant to serve individuals in all classes, all nations, all benders and non-benders alike. I've soiled the Sato name. And most importantly, I've forced your hand with Future Industries. You will forever be known as the eighteen-year old Sato girl who inherited a corrupt business from her extremist father._

_This was never my vision with Future Industries or you._

_I pray you don't run yourself into the ground trying to fix my mistakes. If Future Industries is ruined, I beg of you to wipe your hands clean of her whether it is by selling or discontinuing. Do what you want to do that isn't centered around Future Industries for once in your life. You've been groomed as my successor, but I never wanted it to be under these circumstances. I know you're strong, an exceptional engineer, a fighter, but sometimes there's a point in business when you have to cut your losses and stop the bleeding._

_Words cannot express how sorry I am for everything I have done that has affected you. I love you, Asami._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Out of respect for her, Korra didn't peak at its contents, although she had to restrain herself from even a sentence or two for the gist. She peaked up to discover jade eyes glassed over with tears threatening to spill over and taint her fair cheeks. The Avatar held all the power in the world, but in that moment, she was powerless. All she could do was hug her tighter, closer to promise her she'd never be alone in the world for anything.

For years, Asami pushed him away because she saw the irrational man she confronted in his secret workshop and the airfield base. She was burdened with changing the image of the weapons and vehicles he had created, constantly reminding her of the faults of her father and creating a bigger rift between them.

"He apologized," she whispered quietly, still staring at the beginning of his words. "He knew how bad it was getting for me and pleaded for me to sell to save myself from his mistakes and image."

"He wanted you to sell Future Industries?" Korra asked, shocked. She adjusted herself to have a full view of Asami's face.

Asami shook her head. She closed her eyes briefly causing a few stray tears to spill over hear cheeks. "He built it from the ground up. Future Industries is my life. He put it through hell, but I could never, especially now." She handed Korra the letter, letting her read it for herself. The second she saw 'sell,' she felt his sorrow. Future Industries was his baby, his life.

"A few months in prison and he became a changed man," Korra murmured in disbelief to herself. Hiroshi's words seemed almost unbelievable for the short amount of time he'd been in jail, but she could feel every emotion he poured into the words. Like Asami said, Future Industries was his baby and the proof that he at one point wanted Asami to sell showed how serious he was about not only his regrets, but saving Asami.

There were plenty of other letters to read, but Asami needed time to process the first one. Of all the things she could've guessed what he wrote about in the first letter, an apology would not have been one of her guesses. Maybe one of the later ones, but not the first one. It made her wonder what the others held if he apologized in the first letter.

For the next several hours, the two of them relaxed on the island. They thought about going into the city, but decided a quiet day together on the island was needed. Lately, they never had the chance to enjoy serenity of their surroundings and talk about whatever came to mind. Asami was still engrossed in the continuous project of rebuilding Republic City and Future Industries' production lines. Korra was occupied with assisting Tenzin and a handful of Earth Kingdom issues, but overall, nothing compared to the last few years.

The couple were slouching against a tree. Korra's back was against the truck, and Asami's head rested in her lap as tan fingers combed through the soft raven hair.

"You know how you have your glove? What if you developed another one but with flames instead? Then you can zap someone if they're too close or shoot fire at them?" Korra demonstrated her ideas with her own fists and sound effects, looking a lot like Varrick with the gesticulations and noises.

The engineered quirked eyebrow and curled her lips up in amusement. "I believe you're trying to make me a firebender or a human mecha suit. You know, the idea crossed my mind while I was tinkering with my glove using my dad's original diagrams to make a pair."

"Hey, if it helps us catch the bad guys quicker, I'm all for it. Plus, it's kind of hot watching you take everyone down without breaking a sweat."

"Back at you." She winked seductively and pulled her down for a tender kiss that she'd never get enough of. "I might develop an upgraded glove in the future, but right now, I'm covered. I have a meeting with Varrick this week to discuss this crazy idea of a hybrid vehicle that can be used in the water and land and neither mode deters from the other so basically a race car and a jet ski in one."

"That actually sounds really cool! I'm sure the police and other industries would be interested in that. I bet some of the hunters in the North and South would be interested too."

"Well, I've got a challenge this week that's for sure trying to draw up plans for it and dealing with Varrick. You know how he gets."

"You know who to call if he tries anything funny."

As the sun began to set, the two of them walked around the island and helped feed the bison and lemurs with the kids. Only after a delicious dinner with the airbenders did they journey back to Asami's mansion.

"Nobody's on the streets so I think it's time to resume your lessons, Korra," Asami hinted as they walked to her car. She tossed the keys to Korra. She stared at them, terrified, like she just caught a baby canyon creeper.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I can't drive!" she spoke exasperated. "If it's not an animal, I can't operate it. I almost destroyed your inventory when I was messing with your forklift." She threw her the keys back and jumped into the passenger seat without a second thought about driving.

"Forklift doesn't equal car, Korra. You seemed interested in Varrick's idea, and that'd required you to know how to operate a vehicle." She slammed the door a little harder than necessary and began cruising along the streets. "I know you have your glider, but what if someone gets injured without water nearby or the damage is too severe for you to heal yourself? Or the injury is something internal you can't heal and requires medical expertise? You've got to learn to drive, Korra. It's a life skill."

Neither was mad at the other, just frustrated they didn't see eye to eye on this. This was the one topic they had a recurring argument about from time to time. Asami thought she'd be able to break Korra, but the past year was failure after failure. She tried everything from food, relentless teasing, ridiculous wagers, but she didn't budge one inch. Somehow, she was determined to teach Korra all the fundamentals of driving.

The car ride to the mansion was quiet. Cool, night wind whipped through their hair in the darkness. They were on the outskirts of the city when an unnatural chill ran up Korra's spine. On high alert, she twisted in her seat, surveying the surroundings. Nothing was out of the ordinary. People milled about in the night, entering and exiting buildings minding their own business. A few other cars were on the road around them, obeying laws that Korra could never remember.

"What's wrong?" Asami asked as she pulled up to an intersection. Korra was bouncing in her seat which wasn't that unusual, but the way her muscles tensed was a cause for concern.

"Do you have a strange feeling in your body?" Asami shook her head. "Maybe it's just me or I ate too much at dinner. Something feels different."

"Different how?"

"Like something's about to happen."

But nothing ever came as they pulled into the estate. As they exited the car and headed inside, Korra couldn't shake the feeling creeping over her entire body. The mansion was exactly how it was supposed to be and as she remembered it. That didn't stop her from double checking every lock and investigating many of the rooms in the mansion though. If someone was in the house undetected, Korra made it her mission to give them hell for breaking in.

After deeming the house safe, Korra laid in bed and waited for Asami to emerge from the bathroom. Just after she got comfortable in bed, she realized she'd forgotten to pull the heavy curtains over the grand bay windows. She groaned. Asami could've easily done it once she emerged from the bathroom since the window was on her side of the bed, but that tiny bit of paranoid crept in again.

She grumbled the whole way to the window. Don't get her wrong, she loved the view during the day and sunsets, but it was evil when Asami welcomed the sun into the room when she was still sleeping. She swore she did that sometimes just to tease her.

A crescent shaped moon occupied the skies and caught Korra's attention. When she was growing up and couldn't sleep at night, she'd gaze upon the moon. Mind you, the southern lights hadn't returned yet so there wasn't anything else to watch in the sky besides the moon and stars. The moon's appearance and position were more obvious to Korra so she'd focus on that. It was after all how her ancestors learned waterbending. Nowadays, Korra didn't know the phase of the moon unless she happened to be waterbending and felt the power of the moon in her fingertips.

With a small smile, Korra drew the curtains shut and return to her side of the bed. She was well on her way to getting comfy and situated again when Asami exited the bathroom. Being the CEO of Future Industries required Asami to have poise and gracefulness, but instead of crawling into her side of the bed like usual, the CEO stalled at the foot of the bed with an uneasy look.

"Are you okay?" she asked concerned, disentangling herself from her spot once again, but with no thought of annoyance this time.

"I had a conversation with Pema earlier today and it got me thinking," she trailed off, rubbing one hand against her upper arm and eyes cast downward for a moment. "I know we never really talked about it and we just kind of fell into a routine day by day, but how would you feel if you moved in here full-time?"

"Really?" Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"If you want to, there's absolutely no pressure!" she reassured and waving her hands. "I completely understand you still want to help Tenzin and see the kids, but when I wake up alone and you're not here, I miss waking up beside you to find you all sprawled out with the blankets kicked away. I love having you around, and I love you. I know loving each other and living together all the time are completely different…"

It was one of the few times Korra was privy to her girlfriend babbling. That was usually her specialty. She crawled to the end of the bed with a loving smile. Sitting up on her knees, she wrapped her arms around Asami's waist and pulled her lips to hers. If anything, watching her usually composed girlfriend get all flustered made her love her even more. Tasting her fresh, clean lips was also another perk.

"I love you too, Asami. I'd love to officially move in with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I didn't finish writing this yet. Oops...but since the world may end this week (especially the US, where I hail from), I decided to post the next chapter. Plus, it gives you all a little more insight into the story and hopefully amps you up more. 
> 
> I'm serious this time, not posting anymore until I finish writing the rest which is about four chapters, but they're kind of long according to my outline. So...see you in December if we're still here? Drop a comment down below. I love hearing what you guys think or even little emojis!
> 
> In the meantime, I'm rec-ing an amazing artist: @jellolegos on TikTok and Twitter. The artist has done some amazing sketches for ATLA and LoK and the style is gorgeous. Hope you're as blown away at the art as I am.


	3. The Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: December 17, 2020
> 
> Hope my fellow East Coasters of the US were safe during Winter Storm Gail!

_“Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.”_

_― Phaedrus_

* * *

“And we could install retractable claws to it too. Spirits! Do you know how great this will be!” the excited businessman proclaimed, throwing his hands in the air like he discovered a new bendable element.

“Varrick, calm down! It’s one thing to talk and draft about this hybrid vehicle, but it’s another story constructing and testing it.” Asami sat behind her desk, trying to conduct a professional meeting. But this was Varrick, there was nothing professional about him despite his intelligence.

“Oh, come on, Sato! You and I know between the two of us, we can make it a reality! You have expertise in land vehicles, I have expertise in water vehicles. It’s perfect! The two smartest business people and engineers in Republic City, it would be a crime to not make this vision a reality!” In Varrick fashion, he came around the desk and shoved his face in hers, making her cringe back in her chair. There was no reason Asami needed to see up his nostrils at any point in her life.

“I’m just trying to be realistic.” Asami pushed him away and out of her personal space. The rough drafts on her desk had definitely piqued her interest. She liked the idea. She really liked it, but there was a reason why nobody tried to attempt this yet. “Can you at least put this in standard measures and not Varricks and Zhu Lis or give me a conversion scale?”

Varrick left after a very lengthy explanation about the conception of Varricks and Zhu Lis, leaving her alone at last, sighing. The scribbles Asami made about the conversion scale made no sense, but given it was Varrick who explained them, not too surprising. Most of the talking was done by Varrick, but Asami felt drained and slumped back in her chair.

After a quick check in with her assistant and reviewing some documents, she returned to Varrick’s designs. He was going to have to deal with her best estimation of measurements for Varricks and Zhu Lis in standard measures. Why did that man have to make a whole new system of measurements? It created confusion and increased the chances of errors in the world, hence the reasoning for a standard, worldwide system of measurements.

“Damn it, Korra,” Asami muttered and leaned back, tapping the end of her pencil against the lines. The engineer’s mind had wandered off from Varrick’s designs to the designs that Asami pulled out from her desk drawer. Varrick consumed too much of her time for the day, and it was time for Asami to do something else that didn’t center around the eccentric businessman.

Ever since she and Korra had that conversation about her electric glove, it got the wheels in her head turning again. She loved the glove she had now, but was drawing up a prototype that was similar in design besides the fact of an added flamethrower and retractable blade. Like she said before, talk and drawing were nothing compared to the concrete development phase. She was certain it was possible, but it was shrinking the dimensions and intertwining the needed elements into what the glove already possessed that was the issue.

Asami worked diligently, lost in her blueprints. The soft hum of the radio filled the otherwise silent office as her pencil scratched against the plans.

_Another adult and two children have vanished. The count is now six missing adults and thirteen missing children. These numbers are becoming increasingly concerning. Families and parents are pleading with police to get to the bottom of this case. Stay tuned for more updates._

Despite everything thrown her way the past several years, Asami loved what she did. She loved working with her hands, finding the correct configuration and dimensions for products then taking all of that and creating goods for the greater good of society. Future Industries’ top priority was finishing the housing projects and expanding the city. After that, she expected Future Industries to continue improving the city, but wanted to devote full time to developing new products and updating its current product lines.

Many of the products Future Industries currently manufactured for the general public were conceived by her father. She was determined to market the newest product of Future Industries for the common individual to put her own stamp on Future Industries. She hoped her collaboration with Varrick was a step in the right direction even if he had his quirks.

Hours passed as she switched between the diagrams and her daily duties and lost track of time.

“Are you so sick of me invading your house already that you’re hiding in the safety of your work office?”

At the sound of her girlfriend’s teasing voice, she looked up from her plans to find Korra leaning in the doorframe with her arms across her chest and a playful smirk. Those strong arms were a nice treat for Asami’s eyes after staring at piles of paper all day.

“The only indication of you actually moving in full-time is there’s a polar bear dog running around the estate every day. You need some more clothes.”

Korra rolled her eyes and pushed off the frame, claiming a seat on Asami’s lap and throwing her arms around her neck. After a quick kiss, she studied the plans that had occupied Asami. “Hey, that flamethrower was my idea!”

Asami giggled at her childish whining. “It’s just a draft.”

“You’re adding a blade too?” She continued studying the plans she had laid out already though Asami was sure she understood none of the technical aspects.

“I thought it might be a good idea if I need cut something or pick a lock and you’re not around with your metalbending,” she clarified, rubbing Korra’s back.

Korra hummed her acknowledgement. “So, I actually dropped by to see if you wanted to get a bite to eat then catch the pro-bending match tonight?”

“Sure.” She hesitated before sighing and retrieved an already opened letter from her desk drawer. “Except I want to read this letter first. Here, in my office.” The last several days, she read a couple of his other letters, but those were mostly about what he was doing in prison and how he was doing. They weren’t as personal or as of significant magnitude, but he still put forth effort in asking how she was doing, obviously still worried about her.

“Why here?”

Asami slouched back and ran a hand through her long hair. “I opened it this morning while you were still sleeping, but I couldn’t finish. I saw ‘Equalists’ and clammed up.”

Clear as day, Hiroshi and the Lieutenant stalked her friends and prepared to strike. It was only her desperate cry for her dad that stopped them. The evidence of his ties to the Equalists was right in front of her – right under her nose for who knows how long. The young woman’s heart broke the moment she had to severe the tie to her last living family member with that striking shock to the chest. Escaping with her friends, she couldn’t help but glance back at her father’s prone form on the floor right where she left him. She barely held back the tears, breaking down on the inside and remaining strong on the outside until they got to the airship. But even then, she held back.

Korra placed a hand against her cheek and kissed the corner of her mouth. Asami may have forgiven him, but forgiveness could never erase the memories engrained in her mind forever. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that his letters were still here and not destroyed.

Opening the letter and a nod towards Korra, Asami once again began reading the letter centering around how the divide surfaced in the Sato family.

_Asami,_

_I joined the Equalists because I thought we would then be equal with all the benders out there. In the beginning, it was to avenge your mother’s death, but it quickly spiraled out of control and my motivation for joining the Equalists became distorted. You were right._

_I remember that dreadful night clear as day. She was home alone, I was in the office late, and you were sleeping over at a classmate’s house. I was returning home, but the moment I stepped out of my vehicle, something in the pit of my stomach wasn’t sitting right. The ajar front door was enough to frighten me beyond belief and sent a violent shudder through my body as my veins ran ice cold._

_I ran through the foyer to find it destroyed. Burn marks and the smell of smoke lingered in the house, welcoming me instead of my lovely wife. I called out for your mother, anyone, but nobody replied. The endless number of rooms in the estate was a nightmare at that moment as I tried to find her. The fact that most of the rooms were destroyed and robbed didn’t cross my mind. All I needed was Yasuko._

_Our window had been broken. She was in our bedroom laying on the floor, face down, arms outstretched awkwardly. I dropped to my knees and rolled her over, only to discover her skin burnt to a crisp. It was nothing like I’d ever seen before. I shouted, I checked for a pulse, but nothing. She was gone._

_As I held and cradled your mother’s limp body in my arms, I cried for my wife, cried for you. I lost the love of my life that night, and my young daughter lost her mother. You also lost the father I should have been all these years._

_At first, I blamed myself for not protecting her better. Sato has such prestige; I should’ve known at some point one of those gangs would invade our property for monetary gain sparing no lives. Then I moved on to hating the Agni Kai Triad. But the closer I examined the world around us, I observed how benders used their abilities to their advantage to gain the upper hand against one another. It got worse when I witnessed exchanges between benders and non-benders. That’s when I began despising all benders just because of their abilities._

_I thought joining the Equalists would assuage this need to exterminate all the benders from this world. In doing so, we along with all the other non-benders in the world would be safe. No one else would have to feel the excruciating pain of losing a spouse, a parent, a loved one at the hands of a bender. Losing you opened my eyes to what a heinous man I had become._

_I am filled with remorse for every spiteful thing I spit at you in the warehouse. My daughter. I am a horrible, appalling father. Some days I wish you would have done more to me because I deserve it. Every day I sit in my cell, I think of every single time I have deceived you, and hope one day I can make an attempt to rectify all the wrongs I have done to you, Asami._

_Love,_

_Dad_

“What did he say to you?” Korra asks, finishing up the letter and looking up at her.

She looked away as that day flashed through her mind. She wasn’t sure if Bolin had heard what her father spewed at her in the heat of the moment, but she’d never admitted to anyone the words she was about to say. “He looked me straight in the eye and shouted ‘there is no chance in saving me’ as he was about to strike me with a mecha tank arm. Those words, the look on his face, he wasn’t my father anymore.” Things and opinions changed since then, but it was still one of the worse days of her life.

“That’s terrible. I knew you confronted him, but I didn’t realize how bad it actually was.” Korra cupped her face, gazing into her eyes. She kissed the engineer, letting them escape into their own little bubble temporarily. Before things got too heavy, Asami broke up their makeup session, reminding her girlfriend that she wanted to see the pro-bending match.

The letter was slipped back into Asami’s bag, ready to return back to its rightful collection at home. The Avatar slipped her hand into hers, leading them out of the CEO’s office, the position bestowed upon her at such a young age because of Hiroshi’s actions.

* * *

After a quick bite a Narook’s, it was still early so they decided to walk the streets hand in hand until it was time for the match. Asami was a little somber thinking about her father like that, hearing his point of view in detail and how he felt finding her mother deceased. Every time she went a little too far, Korra would bump her shoulder or make an offhand comment about someone they’d pass, cheering her up a bit and earning a little smile.

The sun was beginning to set, casting a beautiful glow over the whole city. Asami was laughing at Korra’s impression of Varrick, staring at her scarily accurate facial expressions and one-handed mannerisms when she suddenly tumbled to the ground and unintentionally pulled Korra down with her in the middle of the street.

“Are you okay? What did you trip on?” Korra asked concerned next to her then noticed it. Asami’s feet had been cemented by earth, making her fall face first into the ground. She quickly bent it back into the ground and helped her sit upright.

“Yeah,” she groaned, stretching her feet and pushing her hair out of her face. “What was that about?”

Korra surveyed the area, noticing several others around them met a similar fate to Asami. Down the street and through the throngs of people, a girl was giggling and eyeing the scene curiously. She casually walked away from the scene like she had nothing to do with their predicament. Korra’s eyes narrowed. Nobody messed with the Avatar’s girl without retribution. Even if that person was a child.

The little girl was fast and agile and obviously knew her way around and how to use her surroundings to her advantage, but not quite as fast as Korra who caught up to her easily. The Avatar had no problem clutching the back of the girl’s collar, yanking her up into the air and coming face to face with her. In the process of being captured by the Avatar, a few yuans dropped to the ground in between them.

“What’s your problem? You think it’s funny tripping my girlfriend!” She was giggling and covering her mouth with her hands even though she was dangling in the air. She appeared to be about eight. The ragged clothing and the yuans under them suggested she was a street kid. Her complexion was a light tan, a long dark brown braid hung over her shoulder, and striking, youthful green eyes that reminded Korra of a cat deer’s eyes. “Do you know who you’re messing with?”

Asami finally caught up to them, only lagging behind since Korra had gotten a head start. She placed a hand on Korra’s left shoulder, half-way pleading to release the child from her clutches. Taking in the little girl at the mercy of her upset girlfriend, she appeared almost too unruffled in this situation, eyeing the two curiously with her green eyes.

The trio was so caught up in one another that a water tendril snuck up behind the adults. Korra lost the grip she had on the girl, falling to the ground with her girlfriend. The girl gathered the yuans quickly that weren’t trapped beneath the women and scurried away to join a little boy at the other end of the alley who had a dark complexion, messy shoulder length brown hair blowing in the breeze, and deep-sea blue eyes.

“Stay away from my sister! She’s off limits!” he warned at the couple before pulling her away.

“She started it!” Korra yelled in response, waving her fist at their backs.

“Calm down, sweetie. You know I can handle my own battles,” she teased, rubbing her hand up and down her arm. “I’m sure you were much worse at that age than the old trip and run.”

“Oh, the stories Katara and my parents could tell you.” She rose and offered a hand to Asami, helping get to her feet. “She didn’t steal anything from you, did she? I’ll go get her right now if she took any of that fancy stuff you keep in there.”

“Wow, those are some big words, Avatar,” Asami joked, brushing herself off. “But no, all my ‘fancy stuff’ is accounted for. She didn’t even get any yuans. Don’t worry, I have plenty of money for you to burn on junk food at the arena.”

Korra laughed and led them back out onto the main street. “How about we just go the arena now before I chase down another kid then?”

* * *

Having a private box was a nice benefit to dating one of the wealthiest individuals in Republic City. Great views. Great, comfy seats. There was no hassling for space with strangers or getting a stiff ass. The best part was the private waiter who would bring whatever snack one desired.

“Do you want any seal jerky?” The scrunched up look she received was all the answer she needed. “One large order of blubbered seal jerky, please.” The butler bowed and retreated while Korra turned back to her girlfriend, leaning back in her seat with a grin. “You’d like it if you gave it another chance.”

She vehemently waved her hands off. “I tried it at least three times. You know I love most of your native cuisine, but not that. Never that.”

Halfway through the match, Korra tried goading her into trying it again by tapping a piece against her ruby lips, but she kept her lips sealed shut and leaned as far away from it as she could in her seat. The Avatar didn’t back down from a challenge though. She threw her girlfriend her best polar bear puppy eyes and pout, breaking Asami down enough to reluctantly open her mouth enough for her to pop it in her mouth.

“Love you, ’Sami,” Korra said cheerfully like she won a pivotal battle, giving her a big kiss on the cheek.

An exciting series of events unfolded causing Korra to jump up and lean against the railing to get a better look. Asami would’ve joined her, but she was still chewing the jerky, thinking to herself how dry yet chewy it was. The things she did for her girlfriend. Put her in front of her board and executives, she dominated the room and demanded respected from the men. Put her in front of her girlfriend, one look and she surrendered.

The jerky finally went down all the way when Korra began cheering wildly. Asami’s smiled and admired the view of Korra’s backside. As lovely as the view of those rippling muscles was, wrapping her up in her arms and tickling her neck with kisses would be much better. She moved to go do that, but froze halfway out of her seat. A bone chilling shiver ran up Asami’s spine as if someone opened a door on the coldest day of the year. Except it was neither cold on this beautiful summer evening nor was there a gust of wind.

She tried to remain calm. She scanned behind her and the arena, but the feeling remained. This must’ve been what Korra felt the other night. Was this feeling was only applying to them or was the whole arena in danger of getting blown up again?

“Korra?” Asami asked, a slight falter in her voice that caused Korra to turn away from the action.

“Yeah?”

“Do you feel something?”

Korra’s heart skipped a beat and she took a step closer to Asami. “Like what?”

Asami paused then said the same thing she had said the other night. “Like something’s about to happen.”

The moment that left Asami’s lips, the match was long forgotten by the Avatar. This time, Korra didn’t feel anything, but now that Asami had mentioned feeling off, she was now on edge again, paranoia creeping in. The two left the box and searched the halls and other areas of the arena, but found nothing suspicious.

The feeling persisted at the end of the match. People began funneling out, some walking back to their homes and others walking towards their cars. They both remained on high alert as flocks of people walked by and cars began leaving. They waited several minutes to let the traffic decongest, but if anything, the perturbed feeling intensified. To be safe, Asami slipped on her glove and warmed it up, sparks of electricity surrounding her hand and temporarily lighting up the dark surrounding her.

Once they began driving, the feeling began to dissipate, but not completely. They were about to leave the density of the city when a huge column of earth protruded mere feet in front of them.

“Shit!” Asami jerked the wheel to the right, narrowly dodging the column.

Korra rose from her seat, ready to fight. “Who’s there?”

Another column of earth shot up, but this time right under the front of the bumper, throwing them and the vehicle spiraling in the air. Korra grabbed Asami out of her seat and held onto her as she airbent them safely to the ground. They watched the car collided with the side of a shop with enough force that parts of Satomobile began raining from the sky.

Korra waved Asami in the direction she thought the earthbending came from and the perpetrator was hiding. However, the alleyways in the immediate area were vacant of people. They ran back to the area where the earth column stood loud and proud in the middle of the road, making a statement to other civilians who gathered to see the commotion. In the background laid Asami’s damaged, distinct personal vehicle. Both of them took the scene in like it held all their answers, hearing the sirens from the police coming.

“It’s that girl. It has to be,” Korra growled, kicking the large column. She would’ve bent it back into the road, but figured the police would want to see it. “Come out, little girl! What’s your game?”

“Do you really think that girl can do this much damage? She was just being funny and pickpocketing people.”

“Don’t doubt appearances, Asami. Think about what we could do at her age!”

They had exerted very little energy the past several minutes, but both their hearts were racing, waiting in anticipation of whoever was out there and targeting them. However, it appeared the attacker wasn’t going to show their face and instead remain protected and hidden in shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little later than intended, but it's here! Somehow I ended up with 3 extra chapters (2 of the remaining 4 ended up too long) and an outtake so I still have 2 chapters to write for this. For those curious, this story will be somewhere in the mid 20's range of chapters plus the outtake that isn't crucial to this story, but adds some depth.
> 
> I'm done with school for the next 4 weeks so I'm finishing these last 2 chapters. I'll likely post the next chapter before the new year and that's when things really begin picking up. I'm thinking some of the future events will surprise you or I hope they do and they make sense haha. It'll be a bumpy ride, but I'll be sure to warn when things get graphic or touchy. I'd love to hear your theories or thoughts so far in the comments!
> 
> Check out my Tumblr: mysky27 ----- https://mysky27.tumblr.com/
> 
> I'll probably start doing sneak peeks or fun facts about chapters, picture inspirations down the line. So come on over to my Tumblr and have fun!


	4. Peaceful Chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: December 28, 2020 9:25PM EST
> 
> If you're joining After All This Time for the first time courtesy of my my other story, One Look and I Ignite, welcome and enjoy!

_“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”_

_― Audrey Hepburn_

* * *

The hands on the clock ticked past midnight, darkness filling the Sato estate. Sleep alluded one inhabitant whose thoughts were running rampant in every direction and wouldn’t stop.

Upon arriving home, the couple walked into their room, exhausted from their respective days and providing Beifong with a statement about their night. The scene around them obviously wasn’t an accident. There were no other reported incidents similar to theirs. In fact, it was a slow night. They searched the area again, but all they came up with was parts of Asami’s car.

Not a single clue as to who or why. The only thing for certain was that it was clearly an earthbender. And a strong one at that. Seeing as they weren’t getting anywhere, Beifong arranged an escort for them.

Korra fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Asami wasn’t as fortunate despite the heaviness in her eyes.

An hour ticked away. Then another. No matter what position she was in, her body and mind refused to yield to the unconscious. On her back. On her side. On her other side. On her stomach. Korra wrapped up in her arms. Back turned to Korra.

Nothing worked.

Giving up, she tossed the blankets off and threw her legs over the side. She opened the bottom drawer of her nightstand as quietly as possible, grabbed the next sequential letter, and walked over to her bay window. The slumbering Avatar faced away from the window and was not at risk of a bright ray of moonlight striking her eyes. Asami maneuvered between the dark red curtains containing the rays of moonlight and rested on the illuminated plush bench seat.

The bay window was her favorite feature in her room ever since she was a little girl. Overlooking the large pond and lush, dense forest on the perimeter of the mansion, it attracted all kinds of wildlife that she watched for hours and let her escape reality. If she was lucky, families of turtle ducks took up temporary residence and she’d spent parts of her days playing with them.

Now, the moonlight reflected off the pond, casting a spotlight on the lone Sato, perfectly capturing all the emotions running through her eyes and mind as she digested more of her father’s words.

_Asami,_

_I’m not sure how much you remember about your mother, but she was the most beautiful, caring woman in the world. I always thought we would grow old together, and one day, you’d be on our doorstep with your own kids – the next generation of Satos. Like me, I know she’d be proud of the strong, independent woman you’ve become today._

_She was only visiting Republic City with a friend when I first met her. No words were exchanged as we passed by each other on a busy street, but she locked her stunning, golden honey eyes with mine long enough to hypnotize me. A breathtaking smile graced her lips. She passed me without a second glance, but those eyes and that smile left me paralyzed in the middle of the street. I smiled like a lovestruck little boy with his first crush and waved at her passing form like an idiot. Without thinking, I chased after her. I had no plan, but I could not let her slip through my fingers._

_For the remainder of her trip, I spent every free moment I wasn’t in the office with her. I apologized profusely to her friend for making her a third wheel, but she was happy for your mother. She especially liked it when I sent them back home in style in a brand new Satomobile._

_Your mother, bless her heart, argued that it was too much. But it wasn’t. I’d only known her a few days and there was plenty I didn’t know about her, but I knew we had formed a connection. A connection I never expected to form in the middle of a busy street with a complete stranger from out of town._

_Our arms were wrapped around one another beside the car, foreheads pressed together, delaying her departure. Being a gentleman, I began to pull away from her, but imagine my surprise when she pulled me down and sealed our lips together. That was the first of many kisses between us. I cherished every kiss, every touch from your mother, but she deserved so much more and I wish I could have done more for her._

_A year later, she returned to Republic City permanently. She uprooted her life in her hometown to be with me and have a family. She grew up in Sanmyaku, a town on the most western part of the United Republic that’s mostly farmland and surrounded by mountains. It was one of the first colonial settlements from the Hundred Year War. There’s even a spring there – Heiwa Springs – that she absolutely adored._

_I visited Sanmyaku several times with her, but after her death, I could never bring myself to return there. Sanmyaku never came up in conversation between us afterwards, but you had visited several times when you were little. I am mortified I never took you there after her death so a small piece of your mother could be with you. With us…It is one of my greatest regrets._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Shame filled Asami, hands dropping into her lap. Gazing out at the pond, she realized how true it was. After the investigation of her murder, it was rare that her mom ever came into conversation between the two. Between him getting swept up in the business as Future Industries expanded its product offerings and growth, her self-defense classes and regular education, and their father-daughter time in the workshop, Yasuko wasn’t a part of the tangible equation. However, she was the driving force behind everything.

They’d visit her grave a few times a year, and for that little bit of time, that was when he reminisced about their time together as a couple and as a family. The older she grew, their visits together and reminiscing dwindled. For years, he was silently fuming and shifting the blame from one person to the next. He buried himself into his legitimate work, but also Equalist work.

She chose to conceal all the memories she had of her, protecting them from getting distorted, but in the process, some of them seemed to be lost forever. She vaguely recalled Sanmyaku, but beyond the name, nothing else came to mind.

The longer Asami thought about it, the stronger the tightening of her throat became. A shudder ran up her spine followed by a restrained cry. She brought her hand to her mouth, closing her eyes, narrow streams of tears falling down her cheeks and onto the fabric of the seat. In her haze, she’d forgotten that releasing all the pent-up emotions was the point of reading her father’s letters.

Asami always held her emotions in, focusing on others and helping them. She wasn’t accustomed to thoroughly processing her own emotions most of the time, but especially when they concerned her parents. The last time she’d felt such riveting emotion was when Korra was gone, and she was left to process those feelings by herself, unsure if she was genuinely concerned about her friend who suffered a traumatic event or genuinely catching romantic feelings for her.

In the panes, a conflicted woman stared back at her, quiet tears streaking her cheeks. She wiped away all of the evidence, taking a moment to compose herself and study the almost broken reflection. She peeked past the curtain to see Korra fast asleep and oblivious to her late-night thoughts. Seeing her made her feel a little better. She knew she’d have to tell her about it, she _wanted_ to, but it was late and they both needed sleep.

Asami took a deep breath, preparing to vacate the bench seat and out of the moon’s watchful eye. Korra remained fast asleep as Asami returned the letter to her nightstand and slipped back under the covers. Needing to feel connected and comforted, she curled up against her back and wrapped her arms around her waist.

“I love you, Korra,” she whispered into her hair, laying a soft kiss there.

And at long last, the CEO drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The following afternoon, Asami met with Zhu Li and discussed the progress of the many construction projects of Future Industries. At the rate it was going, by the end of the year Republic City would be better than it ever was thanks primarily to Asami. An urgent call came through near the conclusion of the meeting so they ended prematurely.

On her way out, she waved to Zhu Li’s other assistant, Kaida. She came on board shortly after Bolin, but despite her short tenure as one of the President’s assistants, the Earth Kingdom woman fit right in and complimented Zhu Li perfectly.

However, at the moment she appeared to be irritated with whoever was on the other end. That wasn’t a good sign for the president. Before Asami could turn around, Varrick emerged from some dark room and wrapped an arm around Asami’s shoulders. That nearly got him punched in the jaw.

“How’s those plans for our invention?” he questioned, guiding her through the halls. “I thought of the perfect name for it! The Hybrid Sato-Varrickobile or HSV for short!”

“I made some adjustments to your initial prints, but haven’t completed them. You can accompany me to my office if you’d like. I was going to grab some lunch first.”

“Great, I’m famished! There’s this great new place downtown I’ve heard of. Best roast duck around! It’s prepared Fire Nation style so you know it’s going to be spicy and _hot_!”

“Asami!” A frazzled Bolin shuffled from behind Asami with a stack of papers in his hands.

“Bolin, how’re you doing?” she greeted, hugging him.

“Oh, you know, it could be better,” he answered nervously. “I haven’t gotten a hold of anyone Zhu Li or Varrick needs to talk to. What’s the point of Zhu Li having two assistants if neither of us can accomplish anything? Kaida’s been on the phone all day, and I’ve been running around town all day. I don’t think I thought this job all the way through.”

“Give it a little more time before you make any major decisions,” Asami suggested, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “How about you join me and Varrick for lunch to get your mind off of things?”

At the mention of food, Bolin cheered up and readily agreed, needing a break from the endless calls and running around town. After getting situated and ordering at the restaurant, Bolin filled her in on his chaotic day until Varrick changed the subject again about his and Asami’s collaboration.

“I’d like to put my name on that list! It’d be so much easier for me to visit Opal then. I can take her on a private romantic cruise on the waves during sunset then see the city lights that night without needing separate boats and cars.”

While the HSV was an interesting topic, there was a more important topic Asami needed to discuss with Bolin. She recalled the events of the past few days to them, but more importantly, the previous night. Bolin’s mouth hung open at the revelation while Varrick twiddled his mustache, deep in thought.

“Is it possible a few of Guan’s soldiers escaped? Or maybe Sheng has associates on the outside? We do have the tendency to make people mad when we capture their leaders.”

“I’m certain we gathered all of them, but an associate of any of them is plausible. What I don’t understand is why I felt it one night, but Korra didn’t and vice versa,” she sighed. Threats were no stranger to them, but only one of them sensing it at a time was new. “I’m thinking our lull in action is coming to an end, and Team Avatar will be called to action.”

“No one is getting in the way of Team Avatar! But most importantly, no one is splitting up my favorite couple!” Bolin cheered enthusiastically and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing a smile to Asami’s face. “Congrats on officially moving in together by the way! How’s that? Is Korra hogging the bed every night now? Oh wait! I know! You get to wake up with Naga giving you smooches in the morning every day.”

“Everything’s perfect,” she answered, a light blush taking residence on her cheeks. “I get to wake up every morning to the woman I love and kiss her whenever I want. I never knew life could be like this with her. So long as I get to spend the rest of my life by her side, I’ll accept whatever the world throws at us. Korra’s the Avatar, the world needs her. When she’s with me, she’s just Korra, but when she needs to tend to her Avatar duties, I’ll be right by her side, whether she needs emotional support or an extra combatant in battle. Anything she needs, whenever she needs, I’ll be there.”

Bolin swooned at Asami’s passionate speech, fanning himself. “Who could’ve imagined all this when we first met? Geez, even last year, I never would’ve imagined working for Zhu Li and indirectly Varrick.”

A flash of a memory from years ago came to mind. Asami leaned her elbows on the table and brought her face closer to Bolin’s like she was going to tell him her dirtiest secret, grinning from ear to ear. “You want to hear something funny?”

“Always!”

“When we stayed on Air Temple Island after my home was declared a crime scene, Korra was leading me to my room with Ikki who asked a little too nonchalantly if I knew Korra liked Mako. Then she was her awkward self, obviously trying to avoid what Ikki just said. If Tenzin hadn’t interrupted us, she probably would’ve rambled on about the weather.”

“Woah, woah, woah! How come you never told me this?”

“I kind of did. When we were searching for Korra, in that hideout. Mako was dead set on finding Korra and lashed out at me. I asked you if Mako liked Korra because of that and the seed Ikki planted in my head.”

“Well, thank goodness my brooding brother didn’t come between any of us, but especially you two. Look at you! Successful, drop dead gorgeous, powerful owner and CEO of Future Industries and dating the Avatar! Do I hear wedding bells in the air anytime soon?” Bolin lightly jabbed Asami’s in the ribs, but Asami’s mind was otherwise occupied.

Marriage. That was a big step. Hell, Korra moved in only a few days ago. Although, she was at her home more often than not so not much changed besides Naga being there every day and having more of Korra’s favorite foods stocked. But marriage? They’d only been dating a year though it felt like years.

Asami’s silence troubled Bolin. Eyes outcast to nothing in particular, deep in thought. Sensing the potential sensitive subject, he changed the subject.

“I’m going to need to hear Korra’s side of the Ikki story. Immediately. I am going to speak with Mako and tonight we’re going to welcome you with our presence for a delicious dinner catered by your chef. I will also personally deliver a lovely gift. Are you allergic to any flowers or plants?”

Asami snapped out of her marriage induced brain. “You know it’s more likely Naga will consume and/or throw any plant you bring, Bo. Having dinner with you and Mako would be more than enough.”

“Hey, your mom was from Sanmyaku?” Varrick interrupted, clearly not listening to their conversation, but Asami confirmed. “I visited there back in the day! Zhu Li and I backpacked on those mountains. Well, more like Zhu Li carried me to the top of one of the mountains. Beautiful, calming spring too. Cleansed my skin and opened up all my pores. You kids should go there! Clear your head of all this nonsense happening here, and you’ll figure out how to enticed consumers to do the thing!”

Both of them laughed at Varrick. Anything could come out of his mouth at any time, but his suggestion wasn’t that bad. It was along the coast so there was potential for market research.

Outside, they were met with bustling streets filled with citizens. Bolin wrapped Asami up in a tight bear hug and lifted her off the ground, promising to her that he and Mako would be on her doorstep before she blinked. Varrick patted her shoulder, and left with his signature “do the thing!”, following Bolin back to Zhu Li’s office after deciding she probably needed him more.

After powering through the rest of her day, Asami walked through her house to find Korra in the kitchen munching on some blubbered seal jerky. Lately, it seemed to be appeasing some sort of Water Tribe food craving.

“You better not eat too much of that, Bolin and Mako are coming over later for dinner. I suspect it’ll be more like Bolin’s coming and dragging Mako over,” she informed, kissing her cheek and taking a seat next to her. “What was the all-mighty Avatar up to today? I hope it wasn’t consuming our whole food stock.”

“Ha, ha,” Korra flatly replied with a tiny grin. “I was actually productive. Took Naga around the city for some exercise and then went over to Tenzin’s and sparred with a few of the airbenders. How about you?”

Asami sped through her meeting and regular daily activities at work, focusing on her lunch with Bolin and Varrick. Then she delved into the letter, explaining that since she couldn’t sleep, she decided to read the next one though it wasn’t her smartest move.

“I already knew most of what he wrote,” she quietly revealed, flicking a non-existent crumb from the table.

“But?” Korra sensed there was something else, but she was hesitant in finishing her thought. Grabbing her hand and threading their fingers together, she continued, “You know you can tell me anything, ‘Sami.”

She sighed heavily, but continued on. “He said I never brought up Sanmyaku, and that’s why he never mentioned it up or took me there. It’s true. I never brought it up.” Asami stared at their intertwined hands. He meant no ill-will phrasing it like that, he was simply stating facts. Facts that Asami didn’t want to admit. “I’m embarrassed, humiliated I kind of hid a lot of the memories of my mom inside myself. It wasn’t often we talked about her openly because I guess it hurt both of us too much.”

“There’s nothing wrong with missing your mom. If you want to talk about her, we can. If you don’t, that’s okay too.” In an attempt to comfort her, she brought up their hands and kissed the back of her hand.

Asami sighed again, appreciating the little gesture. “My dad didn’t explicitly write it, but it sounded like he wanted me to go back to Sanmyaku, experience it to have a part of my mom with me.”

“Then let’s do it,” Korra replied with a grin and no hesitation at all. “A little weekend getaway. We could even invite Mako and Bolin if you want to. A little Team Avatar excursion. The four of us haven’t relaxed together for a while. You can have a piece of your mom with you while we bond as a team away from Republic City.”

Selflessly, Korra made yet another selfless proposal like last year. Bolin’s earlier words crept into her mind, but thoughts of doubt didn’t register. Not that any did, but doubts about the timing. Their love was something special that most people would never understand.

Someday they’d be married.

* * *

Just like he promised, Bolin and Mako showed up on Asami’s doorstep with a large houseplant. Bolin had the biggest grin on his face when he presented it to them, and Pabu stuck his face through the massive plant and chirped. Mako shook his head at his brother’s antics.

The noodles and dumplings were delicious as always. Bolin and Korra seemed to be engaged in an unspoken eating contest as those two had eaten eighty percent of the food. That left Asami and Mako quirking their eyebrows at each other across the table, wondering who was going to become acquainted with the toilet first.

Thankfully, that never happened. One of the housekeepers cleared the table before Bolin went in for the kill.

“So, Korra,” Bolin began slowly, leaning one elbow on the table, looking suggestively at Korra.

“So, Bolin,” she echoed, a little perplexed with his body language.

“I hear a little airbending kid chirped to Asami years ago that you liked Mako at the time and you were being awkward. What’s your side of this tale?” He wiggled his eyebrows, excited for a story.

Korra’s jaw dropped, astonished. Based on the flustering of Mako’s cheeks and Asami trying to hide her giggles and smile behind her hand, they were remembering _those_ times.

“I-I was not being awkward!” she stuttered, looking at her girlfriend. “I was being perfectly normal considering Ikki opened her big mouth. I was just hoping you wouldn’t kick me in the face or you had that glove hidden in your bag.”

“And damage the Avatar’s precious face? Never,” she cooed, leaning over and pinching Korra’s cheek. “Besides, we may not have known each other as well then, but I clearly remember you being awkward. It was written all over your face you were uncomfortable.”

“I could’ve hurled Ikki through the roof if I knew Tenzin wouldn’t have yelled at me,” she muttered. “Is it any consolation that there were no pesky airbending kids around when I realized I liked you and I wasn’t quite as awkward?”

“You’ve still got your awkward moments, sweetie. Doesn’t matter who you’re with in that regard.”

“Can we move onto another subject, please?” Mako piped in, not comfortable visiting those old memories.

Asami and Korra eyed each other mischievously, understanding what the other was thinking of for their next move. Both ladies came around the table to Mako’s seat. Bolin sat quietly, enjoying the show while Mako was confused. Asami and Korra began an assault on Mako with their lips peppering his cheeks jokingly.

“What are you doing?” he shouted, throwing his hands out at them. “Stop it! Korra! Asami!”

“Come on, Mako. We’re all past that. It’s just fun to joke about it now. Don’t you think?” Korra said as she and Asami returned to their seats. Mako was profusely rubbing his cheeks from his assault.

“Oh, I know! Let’s find Mako a lady friend!” Bolin suggested and bounced in his seat. “I bet Opal knows a few single ladies on the island. Asami, I’m sure you know a few single engineers at Future Industries.”

“No, absolutely not!” Mako countered, glaring at Bolin. “Besides, with the kidnappings and increased robberies, I don’t have time to entertain a girl.”

“Robberies?” Korra asked. The kidnappings were a daily segment on the radio these days so unless one lived under a rock, everyone in the United Republic knew about them.

“Small scale thefts. Nothing that’s been stolen is of much value which is what’s strange. Why go through the effort of breaking into someone’s house, someone’s business without taking any cash, jewelry? It’s mostly been clothes, food, possessions that’re left out in the open.”

“Triads?”

“No.” He shook his head. “We already checked them out because of the kidnappings. They’re bad news, but they don’t kidnap kids or adults. They lure them in with money, get dirt on them, wrap them in their convoluted webs and trap them there. Everything with the thefts and the kidnappings have been dead ends so far.”

“This is getting ridiculous. I think it’s time I step in to this. I should talk with Beifong anyway because of the other night.”

Asami remained quiet as they discussed the case in more detail. Kidnappings. Robberies. A direct attack on her and Korra. They all had to be connected somehow, but how?

Then it hit her. Asami remembered when she witnessed Korra touch the spirit vines and knew where Wu was being taken then again at the train station. She interrupted them, asking, “Do you think you could connect to someone’s energy that’s been kidnapped through the vines like you did with Wu?”

Korra chewed on her bottom lip, contemplating the possibility. It wasn’t a bad idea at all. “I’m not sure. I’ve only ever used it on people I’ve known or met. Toph taught me how to connect people’s energies, but it wasn’t exactly a year-long course. I could give it a shot at least.” Mako agreed. Something was better than nothing.

Before the brothers left for the night, Asami brought up her proposal to which they readily agreed to the following weekend. Mako had a late shift that night so they’d leave late on Friday and get to Sanmyaku sometime in the morning.

The next morning, Asami went in early while Korra slept in. Only after the sun was fully risen did Korra travel to the police station. Korra got on Lin’s nerves often, but she was internally thankful for the extra pair of hands. Between the kidnappings, thefts, blatant attack on her and Asami, and other rising crimes, the police were being pulled in every direction.

“It’s not only here in Republic City, but the United Republic. Several other provinces are experiencing kidnappings that are more sporadic. We’re the hub of it.” Lin carefully laid out photos of identified victims so far, none of which were familiar to Korra. “I have another team of officers investigating a lead about a possible black-market supplying mecha suits and weapons from Kuvira which may have a connection too. Whoever they are, they’re good at not being tracked.”

“They have to slip at some point, right? There has to be a few dozen moving pieces if it’s spread out all over the United Republic. Someone is going to slip up if we don’t locate them first, and bam! We take them down.”

“You’d think, wouldn’t you?” she countered, taking a seat. “There’s been no evidence. When you and Asami were targeted, that’s the best lead we’ve got now if they’re connected. An earthbender. It’s something, but not a lot for us to work with.”

Korra huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, examining the photos closer. “None of them are airbenders. Skewed towards children. And these are only photos of families who are wealthy enough for photos.”

“They’re likely avoiding airbenders because you’re close to most of them. Plus, that would draw a lot more publicity than it already has. The kidnappings are in all wealth classes, but those stolen from upper classes aren’t prominent figures.”

“Why?” she muttered to herself. “Is there a hidden message?”

“That’s what we need to figure out. That’s the key to solving this case and connecting all the dots.”

* * *

In downtown Republic City, the spirit portal shimmered in the bright rays of the sun. It was a magnificent, beautiful sight that not many were privileged to observe firsthand on a daily basis. Spirits of all sizes and colors circled the portal and others rested among the vines, basking in the human world peacefully. That was until a gust of wind shot upwards, disturbing the peace and scattering some spirits.

“Damn it! Why can’t I do this?” Korra groaned loudly, leaning over the vines. She fisted her hands, frustrated with herself. “I created this portal, but I can’t find a missing person?”

“Life’s never that easy, Avatar. We have to do it the old-fashioned way,” Lin attempted to console and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You said you don’t exactly have practice in this skill.”

“And you said it might not be possible either last night,” Mako chipped in from Korra’s other side. He was given the esteemed honor of driving the chief and Avatar to the vines. “Concentrate again. Where are Tenzin, Bolin, and Asami?”

Korra closed her eyes and opened her palms, releasing a breath and connecting to all three of them. “Tenzin’s in a meditation session on the island, Bolin’s in his office, and Asami’s in hers along with Varrick.”

“To be able to use this power, you need to know who you’re searching for _and_ have a connection to that person. It doesn’t have to be a strong one like when you found Wu, but a brief encounter at the least,” Mako concluded, sounding more like Tenzin than himself.

“When did you become so smart?” she teased, lightly punching him in the shoulder.

He shrugged nonchalantly, a little smirk on his lips. “You know, facing death and travelling with the Avatar and face of the Air Nation, being a detective on the force, at some point, some of that wisdom and knowledge has to rub off.”

The remainder of the week and following week flew by and before any of them knew it, they were all walking aboard Asami’s airship along with Naga and Pabu. All of them gazed out the windows, taking in their last glimpse of Republic City for the weekend.

Korra lingered a moment longer, wishing she could do more to help locate the missing people, but eventually turned away from the bright lights of Republic City and took a seat on the couch, cuddled up to her girlfriend who was otherwise envisioning what her mom’s hometown was like.

Later that night on the other side of town, it was quiet at the police station. Those stuck on the graveyard shift were talking quietly to one another about anything except work. Graveyard shifts could be one of the best times or one of the worse times to work. This night appeared to be the former.

Two of the dispatchers were roughhousing with one another when a single call came in, breaking the casualness of the night. He went to answer it, taking down the address and the situation. Another minor robbery while the occupants of the house were out for the night. The dispatcher moved to alert an officer, but a muffled crash penetrated the door. The other dispatcher that was roughhousing went to investigate.

That didn’t prepare anyone for the rumbling explosion right under their feet, lighting up half of Republic City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And more of the story unravels. How about that glimpse into Hiroshi and Yasuko's backstory? Is Asami going to find anything in Sanmyaku? What was that explosion? What the hell is going on in Republic City and the United Republic? Any theories or thoughts? 
> 
> In other news, I still haven't written the last chapter of this because I wrote another story instead...It's called One Look and I ignite and has a completely different tone and written differently. I'll say the same thing I said in the notes there: If you want a light-hearted, fluffy, everyone's a hot mess, I think there's a plot somewhere in there, my attempt at being humorous, it ends on a holiday so it's a holiday fic (but not really? Die Hard debate), and/or listening to everyone's smart ass and teasing remarks, go check out One Look and I Ignite. If you want a more serious, somewhat more canon story, continue reading After All This Time.
> 
> As for this story, it'll probably be weekly updates that begin after the new year, and I promise, I will finish the last damn chapter. Anyway, I hope everyone is safe and enjoying the last bit of the dumpster fire that's been 2020. Happy holidays and happy new year! I'll be back in 2021 with After All This Time!
> 
> Tumblr: mysky27 <-Drop by to chat or say hello!


	5. Burst the Bubble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: January 3, 2021 5:56PM EST

_“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”_

_― Søren Kierkegaard_

* * *

Asami awoke on her side with her face pressed against her pillow, stirring from light, loving kisses being pressed upon her bare back as someone pulled her shirt up. Craning her neck to peek behind her, she was met with her favorite crooked smile.

“This is an unusual surprise, but a very welcome one. I’m usually the first one up,” Asami spoke raspy with her own sleepy smile creeping on her lips, rolling completely onto her back.

“I can’t let you have all the fun except I think I’ll let you have a majority of the fun in this department,” Korra responded, straddling Asami’s hips and leaning down until only inches separated their faces. “The sun’s barely up and mornings are _evil_.”

“And what do you expect to do with the extra time you have on your hands today?” she teased, but from the mischievous look in the Avatar’s bright blue eyes, she had an idea of where this was going.

“I can think of a few things.”

And with that, Korra closed the minute distance between them, taking the engineer’s plump bottom lip in between hers. Asami threw her arms around her neck, intertwining her hands in the soft, brown hair. Neither woman seemed to care that their friends were nearby. Their kisses became hurried and Asami pulled Korra closer, wrapping her legs around her hips, desperate to be closer, to get friction.

Korra grabbed the bottom of Asami's shirt to reveal her toned body, but a loud shriek followed by several loud crashes penetrating the door halted that.

“Pabu! No, no, no!”

The couple tore apart in a fit of laughs.

“I guess that’s our cue to get out there.” Korra buried her face in Asami’s neck, reluctant to get out of bed and also a little annoyed at Bolin.

“We can finish this later,” Asami consoled, kissing the side of her head and petting the back of her head.

They got dressed quickly and joined the brothers in the main area of the airship where Bolin was hastily trying to clean up some broken glass. Mako sat on the couch leaving all the blame on him, shaking his head at the situation.

“Hi, lovely ladies,” Bolin greeted them with a nervous smile. “This wasn’t an antique or a Sato heirloom, right?”

Asami’s eyes darted between the glass in the dustpan and Bolin sweating earth bullets. Asami held her head up high, glaring at Bolin with her freshly done, perfect lips in a thin line. Bolin shook and cringed as he watched his friend come within a foot of him, leering over him. He shrunk in upon himself and became a meek turtle duck in the presence of the wrath of Asami Sato.

“Bolin, are you telling me that Pabu broke some of the last possessions of my parents that I own?” she deadpanned, letting out a singular, loud breath.

Knowing their little getaway was meant to reconnect Asami with her mother, Bolin pleaded for mercy. He fell to his knees, tossed the dust pan to the side and practically kissed her feet. “I-I-I-I’m sorry! I-I-I can be your butler! Or I can be security for you! Please, don’t hurt me or Pabu!”

“Bolin, get up!” Shakily, he rose to his feet. Asami tightly grasped Bolin’s shoulders, looking him dead in the eye. Light green eyes were filled with the seriousness of a businesswoman, and the medium green were filled with apprehension instead of the easy-going, fun demeanor of Bolin. She leaned forward to whisper something in his ear, but began shaking with laughter and dropped her forehead against his shoulder. “You fell right into that one. You think I’d keep family possessions on my airship?”

After registering the initial shock of her joke, Mako and Korra joined in her laughter and Bolin babbled on about how unfair it was. He pushed her gently off her shoulder, watching her cackle at her little stunt.

“You think you can have it all? You’re rich. You’re beautiful. You’re dating the _freaking_ Avatar. Leave something for the rest of us commoners, will ya?”

“I play to win, Bolin,” she winked and messed up his hair. “I’ll buy you whatever you want to eat when we land. How’s that sound?”

Once Bolin settled down from Asami’s prank, they settled down in the little lounge area. Asami slipped out for a moment, returning to her room and retrieved one of the two letters she brought along. She couldn’t explain what enticed her to bring the letter about her mother or the next one she needed to read at the last moment.

A bang from the main area snapped her head up from staring at the unopened letter in her hands. Korra was cheering and Bolin was crying again. Taking the letter with her, Asami exited the room to discover Mako and Korra in an arm-wrestling match over the coffee table. Bolin stood beside them, cheering Mako on, but the vein on Mako’s head and glaring side-eye he gave Bolin showed he was agitated.

They were so engrossed in their competition that Asami took a seat at a table in the back, away from the action and flipped the seal open.

_Asami,_

_As I write this, it’s your 20 th birthday. The beginning of a new decade of life for you. It’s hard to believe you were born 20 years ago. I never would’ve imagined not being able to celebrate with you, not being able to see you. You haven’t written to me, but I hope you are reading the letters to find solace in your life. I continue writing to find solace myself. _

_I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. Your mother was asleep, leaving me to fend for myself. You began whimpering and kicking yourself out of your swaddle. I had no idea how to care for a tiny, helpless baby. What was I supposed to do?_

_I picked you up out of your little crib, not knowing what to do, but cradled you like the healers and doctors showed me. Your lips curled into a little pout and you released these little baby noises. You were so adorable and cute that I smiled down at you and ran a finger along your nose and cheek. This was the first baby I ever held so I prayed I would not drop you and damage you when you weren’t even a day old. I never would have heard the end of it from your mother if that happened, and I would never forgive myself._

_But then you opened your gorgeous, innocent emerald eyes. It was at that moment, that I knew I’d do everything I could to protect you and guarantee you never yearned for anything in life. To protect you from the forbidding world we all live in. I came from a poor upbringing, and Future Industries was dominating the market. I knew if Future Industries continued to grow and expand, we’d be set for life and for generations of Satos down the line._

_Unfortunately, I nearly destroyed it. I hear Future Industries is slowly recovering and becoming a force again. I can’t tell you how proud I am of you, but I do worry about your health. When you were born, I never would have predicted you would be the CEO – not by choice – at such a young age. You’re considered an adult, but I still imagine you as that baby girl I held on this day 20 years ago._

_If I was there with you, I imagine we’d have a drink in my study if you’d allow your old man to be your drinking partner. By dusk, I see you in a beautiful red dress ready to take on the most exclusive restaurants and entertainment venues in the city with your friends. Since I can’t be there with you, I hope your friends are celebrating with you tonight._

_Happy Birthday, Asami._

_Love,_

_Dad_

If she wanted to be honest with herself, that birthday was a blur. The whole Red Lotus situation had happened less than a year prior to that day. Everyone had gone on their own paths of finding their destiny.

Asami’s attention was ripped from the words when Korra slammed Mako’s hand onto the table and proceeded to jump from her seat, cheering. Maybe Asami wasn’t with her friends on her birthday like her dad hoped for, but she was now. Their paths had converged again. If those three years were the price to pay for their paths to be intertwined the rest of their lives, it’d all be worth it.

Asami slipped the letter into her jacket and walked over to her girlfriend. She said nothing, but kissed her forehead sweetly to congratulate her on beating Mako.

A blinding burst of sunlight came streaming through the windows. Everyone gathered against the windows, mesmerized by Sanmyaku. A whole mountain range surrounded the perimeter except for a narrow opening leading to the rest of the United Republic and the open coastline on the far side. It was nowhere near Republic City technologically or density, but a nice in between of city and country. Boats headed out to fish for the day and farmers were plowing their lands while others drove around to get to their offices and shops.

It was easy enough to find a large enough clearing to land. What nobody anticipated was a group of townspeople to gawk at each and every one of them like they were zoo animals as they walked down the ramp. The townspeople and Team Avatar stared blankly at each other until Naga came charging out with Pabu on her head, frightening most of the townspeople.

They decided to explore town to seek out a suitable place for a meal. It wasn’t no Republic City, but gorgeous in its own sense. It was certainly much greener – grass wise and not spirit vines – and not nearly as loud or populated.

Asami looked this way and that, looking for something that would jog the ancient memories that resided somewhere in her brain. But nothing was coming to her. Not a single thing. Not the coastline in the distance, not the mountain range, and not the first hand-experience of walking into town.

“Yasuko?” a voice from behind called out. Asami hadn’t heard that name being called out for years, stopping her in her tracks and turning around to the voice. A middle age woman in a red silk robe with golden eyes and dark brown hair cascading down her back approached them until she was in front of Asami. “I thought I was hallucinating, but I can’t believe it. You’re the spitting image of her.”

“Excuse me?” Asami arched a confused eyebrow at the stranger.

“My apologies, I’m Kinu,” she introduced, bowing at the waist. “I was friends with your mom growing up. It’s been so long, Asami.”

“We’ve met?”

“When you were a little girl, much too young to remember. I always wondered if you ever came to visit after your mother’s…” she trailed off, giving a sympathetic, knowing smile. “We’re often one of the forgotten provinces of the United Republic, but the Sato name has such prestige.” She paused, looking Asami up and down, seeing her old friend before her in her daughter. There were differences, but they were very minor, subtle differences. “Is this your first time visiting since you were a child?”

“Yeah, my father wrote me some letters, and he dedicated one to her. How they met and how she grew up here. He mentioned I visited when I was younger, and that he was ashamed of himself for not bringing me here afterwards.”

“Oh, he mentioned how he third wheeled our vacation to Republic City?” she chuckled lightly, crossing her arms. “Lovesick fool he was.”

“You’re the friend my mom was with?” she asked, shocked at this revelation. Of all the people she could’ve struck up a conversation with in Sanmyaku not ten minutes after arriving.

“ _With_? She was _with_ me,” she laughed, throwing her head back. “She didn’t want to go to Republic City. Claimed it’d be full of self-center city folks. Yasuko may have moved to the big city, but she was a townie girl at heart.”

“As great as this little reunion has been, maybe we should move this conversation to a restaurant? Getting my butt whipped by the Avatar and Asami Sato wounded my pride that can only heal with food,” Bolin interjected, but Korra elbowed him in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him.

Realizing how rude she was being, Kinu introduced herself formally to the others. She insisted she be their guide in her quaint town and went into a whole spiel about Sanmyaku for them.

“Unfortunately, I’m afraid we don’t have as much variety here in terms of food. Primarily, we have Fire Nation and Western Earth Kingdom cuisine. There’s a few Water Tribe places, but they’ve had to make variations of authentic cuisine to cater to Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom palates. Kind of ironic considering we’re on the coast and this is the perfect location for waterbenders,” Kinu mentioned as they walked down one of the busier streets with a diverse array of shops and several restaurants.

Bolin wanted to try a so called “fusion Water Tribe joint” as he so eloquently put it. Asami frankly didn’t care where they ate, but Korra was reluctant. Give her a criminal any day, she’d be ready to kick ass. Give her a non-authentic Water Tribe place, she was ready to walk the other way. Mako, on the other hand, wasn’t listening in on the conversation at all. His attention was on a well-kept building that had all its windows and front door boarded up.

“Why’s this building all boarded up?”

Kinu turned to the building in question, sighing. “That’s Takeshi’s shop. He’s a good friend of mine. He’s very good with his hands and always crafting things with scraps. He doesn’t have any kids so he’ll even spend time with the kids in town, teaching firebending sometimes. Wonderful, amazing man. But several weeks ago, he just vanished.” The four friends eyed each other, thinking the same thing. “At first, we thought he skipped town, but several others began disappearing too. Then we heard the whole United Republic was facing the same phenomenon.”

Asami took the lead, hoping she wasn’t overstepping any boundaries. “If it’s not too much trouble, would we be able to discuss this more at your home or my airship, Kinu? “

No matter where they went, no matter what they did, everything always came to them.

* * *

Fear lingered on the shoulders of Sanmyaku. Takeishi was one of the most popular figures there. In addition to him, one adult fisherman and two children had vanished. The fisherman was an elite waterbender who brought in massive fish hauls, and the children were from two prominent families. Like those in Republic City, they were demanding answers.

As Mako, Korra, and Bolin brainstormed, Kinu pulled Asami up her stairs and to her room. Inside her closet, she reached up on the top shelf and retrieved an old, worn box. The two sat side by side on her dark green comforter covering her large bed.

Within the box was several photo albums. She shifted among the albums until she grasped one with black binding.

“If you haven’t figured it out from all the photos of my family downstairs, I’m a photographer,” she chuckled, placing the box with the remainder of the albums on the other side of her. “Thankfully, technology has advanced since I began, but all the moments I have captured over the years personally and professionally all tell a story no matter how minor or major.”

Before Asami’s eyes was her mother. As a teenager, a young adult. Individual photos of her. Photos of her with Kinu and with other friends.

“We met when we were young teenagers and became fast friends.” Remembering her younger years brought a sad smile to her face. For her friend who was no longer with them, for the passage of time. “When I was first learning photography, I was terrible, but she made up these stories about them to make me feel better. As I improved, she continued to tell these elaborate stories. Some true. Some complete fantasy.”

“She used to tell me stories all the time,” Asami quietly added, feeling a little ache in her chest. “I think she enjoyed story time as much as I did.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me one bit. She was fascinated with tales of lore and fantasy as much as she was of reality. It was her grip on reality that nearly prevented her from returning to your father.”

“What?” Asami gasped, looking up from the photos.

“You…didn’t know?” She flipped a few more photos to come upon a photo of Hiroshi and Yasuko in what appeared to be the park, leaning up against a tree. From the looks on their faces, they weren’t aware they were about to be photographed. “Your father had gifted us the latest Satomobile to return home. Your mother kissed him right before we left then got cold feet. Once we hit the road, she began babbling about how that kind of stuff doesn’t happen in the real life, only fantasy.”

“I didn’t know,” she whispered in disbelief. Did her mother or father ever tell her this? Or did she just forget it? Oh, how things would’ve turned out so differently if Yasuko hadn’t taken that leap of fate.

“Hey, it all turned out alright.” Gently, Kinu reached up and placed a hand on her cheek, envisioning Yasuko before her several decades ago in a very similar situation. “As much as it broke my heart to see my friend leave, I convinced her that the love I saw between them was undeniable. Yasuko may have grown up in a more rural area, but she was destined for bigger things than Sanmyaku. You always find the thing you need most when you’re not looking for it. That’s just how life works. We find love in the places we’d never expect them to be, but that’s what makes life special and exhilarating as a journey.”

Asami was well acquainted with that sentiment. The Asami from several years ago never would’ve expected to meet Korra who happened to be the Avatar and interested in her boyfriend. That Asami never would’ve predicted she’d be in a loving relationship with Korra that she wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

“Do you think my mom would’ve liked Korra? Approved of her as my girlfriend?”

Kinu began flipping through the album again, revealing more photos of Yasuko. “Yasuko would’ve loved her. The look in each of your eyes when you catch each other’s gaze across the room, it reminds me of the undeniable connection I witnessed between your parents.”

Similar to her mother, Asami found something that she wasn’t expecting on a little getaway. It wasn’t romantic love, but a part of her mother was now with her like her father hoped for. There was certainly more to uncover and experience in Sanmyaku, but seeing all the photos of her in her youth was priceless.

“You must’ve only been three or four here. Your mother came to visit and proclaimed it a girls’ weekend.” Yasuko sat on the edge of a body of water, soaking her feet with a young Asami in her arms. Both women smiled brightly at the camera.

“Is that Heiwa Springs?”

“It is. It’s located on Mt. Gaoda on the other side of town with a worn path you can’t miss. The handful of times she visited, she always made it a priority to go there. It was one of our favorite hangout spots growing up. Since you’re aware of Heiwa Springs, I’m assuming you and your friends will be visiting?” Asami nodded. “I have one more thing to show you before you head off then.”

Downstairs, Kinu led Asami through a side door that led to a garage. She turned the lights on to reveal a Satomobile. This wasn’t just any Satomobile though. 

“That’s…” Asami trailed off, astonished she was looking at one of the early models of her trademark product.

“The very car your father gave us,” Kinu confirmed. “Your mother gave it to me once she moved to Republic City. I never had the heart to sell it since it represented how strongly Hiroshi felt for her. Your father was a wealthy man then, but nowhere close to what he was in his prime.”

“I can’t believe it.” Asami tentatively walked over, running her fingers along the black hood. “Does it still run?”

“Of course. My husband and I have our newer Satomobiles, but over the years, I’ve always made sure to run her a few times a week and give her proper maintenance.”

“How come…how come you didn’t give it back to my dad after she died?”

Kinu sighed sadly. “I tried to. I insisted he take it, but he refused. I let it go for a while because I knew he was grieving, but when I tried contacting him again, he wanted to hear no such thing about it again. I tried several more times, but he never responded.” Kinu walked up to Asami, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiling. “Drives my husband crazy that it takes up room in our garage, but I’m thinking he may get his garage back. You’ve got your airship, you’ve got your father’s brains, I’m sure you can formulate a safe operation to move her from here back to your home in Republic City.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“Asami, I’ve had this car for over two decades now. I have no reason to keep it besides to relive my glory days of riding back from Republic City in the latest Satomobile. I see no one more fitting to possess the car than you, the real symbolism of your parents love.”

_“You are the greatest thing I ever created.”_

A single tear escaped from Asami’s left eye and fell to the hood of the car.

“I-I don’t know what to say, Kinu,” she stuttered, choked up on all her emotions bubbling to the surface.

“You don’t have to say anything. We can arrange the details later. I think it’s about time you and your friends go to Heiwa Springs.”

* * *

Talking and remembering her parents made Asami a little emotional. She and Kinu emerged from the garage and walked back to the living room where her friends were. The second Asami came into view, the Water Tribe woman’s eyes drifted away from the conversation with the brothers, twinkling softly a look that only Asami could draw from her.

Not saying a word, Asami padded over to her friends. Korra’s eyes followed her the entire few seconds it took to reach them like she hadn’t seen her for years. Reaching the younger woman, she crouched down, giving Korra a slight height advantage sitting on the couch. Fair, nimble fingers reached around and tangled themselves into short brown hair. Those same fingers guided the Avatar’s lips to hers, capturing them into an electric kiss filled with burning passion.

“I love you so much,” Asami whispered gently across her lips, resting her forehead against hers.

“I love you too. Did you learn anything interesting about your mom?”

“More than you could ever imagine. I’ll tell you more later.” She removed herself from Korra, finally acknowledging the brothers whose conversation ended and were taking in the couple. “How about we go to Heiwa Springs now?”

Kinu bid them farewell and provided some light snacks for them which Bolin gratefully accepted. On the way towards the trail that would lead to Heiwa Springs, the brothers and Korra enlightened Asami about their talks about the kidnappings. There wasn’t much they could conclude, but Mako took notice how here more prominent and well-known citizens were taken whereas in Republic City, no one of rank was taken, making it a possible lead.

They were just about to embark on the path of Mt. Gaoda when Asami’s name was hollered behind them.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Sato. I’ve been trying to track you all throughout town,” the captain of her airship huffed and puffed, hunched over and resting his hands on his knees.

“What’s wrong?”

Straightening out, he answered, “Chief Beifong is ordering all of you to return immediately. There’ve been incidents in Republic City including several major businesses and Future Industries is one of them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry about the double cliffhanger. I kind of forgot about this one 😬...Update in a week or so to see what the hell’s going on in Republic City? I promise, that one does not end on a cliffhanger! Kudos and comments much appreciated until then!
> 
> In other news, I've finally finished writing After All This Time! I don't know how, but 3 of the last 4 chapters got really long so I had to split them up so this will be 25 chapters (when I thought it'd be 20 originally, then 22) and approximately 100k words. 
> 
> If you haven't yet or need a lighter story, check out my other story, One Look and I Ignite!
> 
> Tumblr: mysky27 (Chapter 6 teaser, chapter title reveal, and beginning quote will be posted later in the week there!)


	6. Murky Horizons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: January 8, 2021 6:25PM EST

_“Some people do everything, some do something, many do nothing - which is bad enough - but the worst of the lot are those who break down what others have built.”_

_― Christina Engela, Fearotica: An Anthology of Erotic Horror_

* * *

Dark grey, menacing clouds loomed over the grey skies of Republic City that late afternoon. Air Temple Island was much too quiet. The bombing at the police station injured some officers and a majority of the staff and even some of the surrounding buildings’ inhabitants. Tenzin instructed many of the airbenders and acolytes to go help the injured and city, and most importantly, ensure everyone stayed calm.

The face of the Air Nation stood at the end of the dock, watching Republic City from a far. Despite surviving Kuvira’s spirit energy weapon, the police station was now in shambles. If he concentrated hard enough, the smell of burning metal infiltrated his nostrils.

“Staring won’t do you any good,” Lin gruffly said, coming from behind and standing beside him.

“What has the city, the nation that my father built become? Kidnapping the citizens? Blowing up the police station? Desecrating what the greatest earthbender of all time, your mother, built from the ground up?” he angrily questioned.

“We’re in a state of transition. We’re vulnerable right now to whoever desires power. I’m going to do everything I can with the remainder of the force I have and Korra’s team.” Lin huffed angrily at her own thoughts of shame and kicked the dock beneath her. “Do you know what it felt like when I heard the alarms? The ground shaking? Jumping out of bed and seeing the flames and smoke where I know the station is? I failed my officers.”

“You didn’t fail them, Lin. I know Kya and the rest of the healers are doing everything they can to heal all of them as quickly as possible.” Considering many of them were near the core of the explosion, they had serious burns and broken bones. Healing was a magnificent power to accelerate healing, but depending on the severity, time was still crucial to the healing process. That was the path many officers faced.

“They better or there’s going to be hell to pay. I might have to ask Su if she could spare some Zaofu guards temporarily,” she grumbled, not wanting to ask her little sister for help. They may have reconciled, but she didn’t want to swallow her pride.

“How is she? Kuvira isn’t giving her too much trouble on her house arrest, is she?”

“House arrest? Pfft, it’s more like she’s a teenager sent to her room without dinner. A cozy bed, a window overlooking Zaofu in all its glory, food made by a professional chef. If she was in my custody, she’d get our worse cell crawling with elephant rats, and I’m sure the other prisoners would have some words with her.”

“Ah, there’s that cold, brash woman everyone loves.”

It wasn’t too long afterwards that the airship arrived at Air Temple Island. Team Avatar exited and were welcomed by Tenzin and Beifong. Without even bothering to move inside, Lin began filling them in.

Several bombs had been planted underneath and around the station the previous night without anyone noticing. A small fraction of the station remained standing like a beacon of destruction as smoke rose up among the ashes and rubble. Injured officers and staff struggled to emerge from the damage. The officers and select few staff not seriously injured surveyed the area to find nothing useful to identify anyone.

With all the chaos going on between healers and medics stabilizing the wounded, the fire department putting out the flames, and the press and media, anyone could’ve been a suspect in disguise, blending into the crowd and slipping away.

“It sounds suspiciously like something Varrick would do,” Mako pointed out, thinking back to when he discovered his hired men escaping from blowing up the cultural center.

“A few officers had the same thought, but when they entered their home…let’s just say he and Zhu Li were otherwise _occupied_. I’m keeping a close eye on him just in case, but as devious as he is, I don’t think he’d risk Zhu Li’s reputation with his actions.”

“But how can we not have _anything_ solid on these guys? We don’t know for certain if they’re benders or nonbenders. We don’t know why they’re doing it. We don’t even have a footprint or how many there are. For all we know, it could be a cynical group of women!” Bolin argued.

“That’s where you four come in since I’m strapped for officers and staff now.” Lin looked between Korra and Asami then at Bolin and Mako. “Tenzin’s got most of the airbenders and acolytes in the city trying to maintain the peace and helping the less seriously injured.”

“My captain said that Future Industries was involved?” She hadn’t mentioned it before, knowing that lives were more important at the moment.

For the first time since she began discussing the previous night’s events, Beifong hesitated, gazing at Asami. “Cabbage Corp, Keum Enterprises, and Future Industries were all hit. It’s likely while the station was in flames when they were all infiltrated because the reports didn’t come in until the employees came in for the day. Like the small-scale robberies occurring in Republic City, none of the corporations will suffer massive losses. Stolen raw inventory, a few busted machines, but nothing detrimental. The problem is that Future Industries’ break in was different than the others.”

“Different how _?_ ” Korra pressed, not liking the tone of the chief.

* * *

In the city, Beifong dropped Mako and Bolin off at what remained of the station to pick up one of the few surviving police vehicles. Bolin was barely out of the car before peeling off. She was annoyed with the younger brother’s comments the whole ride over, but she didn’t have the luxury to be picky at the moment.

From the outside, nothing appeared out of place of Future Industries’ main factory. Upon further exploration inside, Asami noticed that parts here and there were missing as well as the few busted machines. While she wasn’t particularly pleased with stolen inventory, it wasn’t the worse thing. Most of it was raw materials that she could easily replace and new machines would be ordered the next day.

“Now, I need you both to remain calm when I open this door,” Beifong heeded, moving to prevent the other two from opening the door.

“Beifong, I swear to Raava if you don’t open the door this inst-“ Korra growled until Beifong open the door, revealing the mess of Asami’s office.

Papers were scattered over the floor like a tornado ripped through. Books were ripped from the shelf in the corner, couch cushions haphazardly hanging off, chairs overturned. The houseplant that Bolin had gifted her was burnt to a crisp and burns marred the walls. That wasn’t even the worse part.

Embedded in Asami’s desk was a large combat knife sticking straight up in the center, puncturing the glossy wood. On the left side wall, the safe was busted open, door hanging open and slightly distorted from fire and physical force revealing its empty contents.

“Asami,” Korra took her chin in her hand, but all she received was a blank stare, “ _no one_ is going to lay a hand on you.” On the outside, Korra was calm, but on the inside, she was ready to pummel whoever dared cross her girlfriend.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the different I mentioned earlier is that knife and the fact that her safe’s broken into. The others’ offices were messed up and had some minor documents stolen that were in the open, but neither their safes were busted open nor were there any knives in their desks. What was in that safe, Asami?”

It wasn’t the knife that was making the CEO mute. She’d been exposed to spirit energy and powerful benders over the years, a knife was child’s play. The vacant safe was the cause of her muteness, the cause of the erratic thumping against her chest. A flash of her father breaking her mecha tank window and about to deliver the final blow in that warehouse. Sato inventions wreaking havoc on Republic City once again.

“The glove, the updated glove, the HSV, some city road plans, and additional housing developments on the outskirts of the city.”

At the beginning of the day, Asami was living her best life, away from business and waking up in her girlfriend’s strong arms. Midday, she learned about her parents’ past and finally returned to her mom’s hometown. Now as the day wound down and dusk fell upon Republic City, everything was going to hell.

The three women entered the office, examining the damage up close. Korra and Beifong observed the knife, neither having seeing one like it before. Six inches of pure, lethal metal. Korra being Korra, ran her finger along the edge, feeling the cool metal and sharpness of the blade. With one small jerk of her finger, she’d be cut in an instant.

“I’m surprised you didn’t take it into custody already.” Korra gripped the sturdy handle and pulled the knife out and laid it on the desk.

“Figured I’d give you the honor, Avatar,” Beifong countered, leaning over the desk and gripping the black and red handle of the knife, getting a feel for it. “The real question is why leave a knife and why single Asami out of all the break ins?”

“It’s because of me.” Guilt ran through Korra as she witnessed Asami almost robotically move about her office to tidy up.

“Don’t sell yourself out so quick, kid.” Lin placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You know as well as I do that she can take care of herself. They’re planning something and hopefully your friends are gathering some intel right now.”

Korra hoped so too. Sensing Asami’s unease, Kora walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her tightly. “It’s going to be alright, baby. No one is going to lay a hand on you or construct your inventions. You’re the only one capable of building an electric glove, and only you and Varrick understand the HSV plans.”

Varrick.

Hearing his name infuriated her, blood boiling in her veins. Beifong said he’d been at home, but Varrick was a clever man. He’d conned her before. He knew her office. He knew she was going to be out of town for the weekend. Asami swiped Beifong’s keys and yelled at the other women to follow her.

For some strange reason, the chief didn’t fight Asami, but she quickly regretted that decision.

“I let you drive the car, not street race! We have a limited supply, and I don’t think you need the added orders of police vehicles.” Beifong shouted as Asami took a sharp right, nearly flipping the vehicle.

She was a woman on the mission. The car screeched to a halting stop. Asami jumped out and barged into Varrick’s home. Voices were coming from upstairs. She kicked the door open to reveal Zhu Li laying getting a back massage from a masseur.

“Where is he?” she demanded, opening every cabinet and door in the room.

“Asami, what is the meaning of this?” she asked, genuinely confused about her intrusion.

“Nothing like a massage on this lovely night.” Varrick waltzed out of the attached bathroom proudly with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Asami marched over and grabbed his hand, applying an extraordinary amount of pressure on his bones that had him writhing. “Ow, watch the hand! Do you know how much I have to do to maintain them?”

Korra and Beifong caught up just as he said that, standing just inside the doorway and watching the scene unfold.

“Did you double cross me? I told you what I would do if you did!” She showed absolutely no mercy to his hand.

“I haven’t the foggiest clue what you’re talking about, Asami. I promise on Mrs. Beaks grave. Please, you’re bruising my luscious palm!”

“Look me in the eye. Tell me you didn’t blow up the station, destroy my machines, take my inventory and materials, break into my office, and steal the plans for my glove, the HSV, and the city!”

“What?” he howled and found the strength to shake Asami’s death grip off his hand. “Someone stole the plans? You accuse me of stealing my own plans and going through the hassle of sneaking in undetected when I could just schmooze you if I needed the plans back that bad.”

“You don’t exactly have the best track record, buddy,” Beifong interjected. 

Varrick narrowed his eyes at the chief and Korra. “Hey, I blew up my own building! I have that right! I have no reason to blow up the station nor do I have a reason to steal plans that are a joint project between our companies.” Varrick took Asami’s face in his smooth hands and pressed his forehead against hers, looking her straight in the eye. “I, Iknik Blackstone Varrick, did not blow up the police station or rob any of the companies. You think I’d tarnish my wife’s reputation like that? That was the old Varrick! The new Varrick stays on the clean side of the law!”

“I’ve got my eyes on you, Varrick.” She roughly poked him in the chest and walked over to where Lin and Korra were standing.

“Varrick was nowhere near Future Industries, Cabbage Corp, Keum Enterprises or the station yesterday. I know he’s acted unethically before, but I promise you, Varrick’s a changed man,” Zhu Li promised, standing next to him.

“Like I told those cops who so pleasantly barged in like you, Zhu Li and I were doing the thing. _All. Night. Long_. In fact, I think we’ll do the thing right now. Zhu Li, do the thing!” Zhu Li did not do the thing, but gave him the eye. “Fine, I’ll do the thing!”

Off went his towel, sending the other three running out of the room and their house.

* * *

On the other side of town, Bolin and Mako were walking the streets. Nightfall never stopped citizens from roaming the streets of Republic City before, but very few citizens dared tonight. Shops were closed already, some boarded up. What was more unsettling was the vacant hangouts where the street kids hung out.

“This isn’t right. Republic City is too quiet,” Bolin said sadly.

“You’re right, it is too quiet. Stay on high alert.” Mako was more suspicious than anything.

The two brothers began knocking on doors, asking the occupants if they noticed anything suspicious the previous night or recently. A few of the homes were victims of the recent crimes, and some pleaded for the safe return of their family members and friends. Others were furious and called the police every name in the book.

They were exiting an old woman’s home when a familiar face walked across the street.

“Skoochy!” Bolin shouted, waving his hand at his old pal. Skoochy froze briefly then fled the area, recognizing the voice.

“Split up!” Mako yelled, chasing after him.

Mako ran behind Skoochy, bending a few fire blasts close to him to slow him down. Bolin took a secret alley way and bent a wall up to trap Skoochy. The wall slowed him enough for Mako to grab the back of his shirt.

“We just want to talk, Skoochy,” Mako said as Bolin bent the wall down and joined them. “What’s the word on the street about all these robberies?”

“Hey, I know nothing. I’m surprised, Mako. You know as well as all these other street kids, we don’t talk to the police,” he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Not unless you try to kill us all in a setup. I hope you were paid handsomely for that. Bo and I may have done some unsavory things in our past, but we never got our hands dirty in people’s lives.”

“Potato, potatah, same thing. You do what you can to survive out here. You know that.” He shrugged, not caring. “I’ve got nothing for you. I’m just looking for my friends after an errand. The explosions rattled everyone and word on the street that a few street kids are missing. If I’m lucky, they left Republic City for a new part of the United Republic. More Republic City real estate for me.”

“Anyone we may know from the streets gone missing?” Bolin inquired.

“Nah, you’ve been off the streets for years now. Fresh meat now. Heard there’s been a few scraps though. Whoever’s missing from the streets is throwing the dynamics off just like you rich folks. Who knew?” Having had enough of Skoochy’s smart mouth, Mako released his grip on him. Skoochy brushed his clothes off like he was actually dirty from him. “Always pleasure doing business with you two. Consider it free for almost killing you. Next time the information’s triple!”

Both brothers were dragging their feet by the time the other three met up with them. Each team briefed each other on their findings, or lack therefore of findings.

“This is ridiculous! We can’t find one citizen who has any good clues or leads?” Korra growled and pounded her fist against the dashboard of the car, denting the radio. Beifong hissed at her to watch it.

“Maybe the assailants have developed some sort of technology to become invisible,” Bolin thought, rubbing his chin in deep, serious thought.

“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s impossible,” Mako countered, not in the mood for anymore of his brother’s exaggerated thoughts.

“Wait, he may be on to something,” Asami supported.

“I am?” Bolin questioned, surprised.

“When my father first thought of the idea of Satomobiles, investors looked at him like he was crazy. One man gave him a chance, and Future Industries was born. I’m not saying it’s invisible technology, but something that we’re not aware of or not thinking of.”

The public radio crackled alive, turning everyone’s head towards it like it held all their answers.

_“I do not understand how President Moon has allowed these events to go on for as long as they have. Children and adults are missing, our biggest corporations are getting robbed, and our police station has been bombed. Anarchy is among us if she does not contain this situation immediately._

_“Where was Avatar Korra during these events? Wasn’t her_ girlfriend’s _company one of the targets? In fact, where was her whole posse that always shows up with her? Both President Moon and Avatar Korra are failing the United Republic. If I was still in office, I never would have allowed things to escalate to this magnitude.”_

The Avatar punched the radio again, furious with Raiko’s statements and crushing the radio beyond repair to which the chief slapped her on the back of the head.

“Where does he get off? If he was still in office, he’d be doing a worse job!”

“Korra, relax.” Asami gave her thigh a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll figure this out. We always do.”

Asami could only hope they would figure it out before she was in another scandal and on the brink of bankruptcy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, whoever it is really went after the Avatar's girl. All I'm gonna say is there's a bit of a time jump coming up next. 
> 
> Check out One Look and I Ignite for laughs in the meantime! 
> 
> End of Part I: Accumulations (Chapters 1-6)
> 
> Tumblr: mysky27


	7. Into the Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: January 14, 2021 7:44PM EST
> 
> Start of Part II: Wounds (Chapters 7-?)

_“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”_

_― H. P. Lovecraft_

* * *

“We’ve scoured all the areas where all victims were supposedly reported to be taken from, we’ve searched the streets with barely anything to nibble at, and we’ve checked on the Triads hangouts and underground tunnels more times than I can count. I bet some of those damn triad members know something, but are keeping their lips sealed. We’re missing something. Something important,” Beifong growled, slamming her hand onto the table with a map of Republic City in front of her.

“We’re looking for a needle in a haystack, but I’m afraid the worst is to come,” Su noted, also looking at the annotated Republic City map.

Su and a quarter of the guards from Zaofu arrived in Republic City two weeks ago. It had been a month since the attack on the station and Republic City’s top businesses. The police had relocated to a temporary location, deeming what remained of the station as unsafe.

What threw everyone for a loop was the decline in kidnappings. One adult and two children had been reported missing the last month in Republic City. Other provinces that had kidnappings had reported none. There were still some small-scale robberies, but nothing of significant magnitude like the station or missing citizens.

Something wasn’t right. Something was coming. But no one knew what or when.

A grand total of ten adults and eighteen children were missing from Republic City, the most from any United Republic province. Twenty-eight citizens were miniscule considering Republic City’s total population, but with the media’s daily coverage of that and the robberies, the social unrest was intensifying into a raging inferno.

“You know, you didn’t have to come here. Sending the guards was all I asked for,” Lin snapped, not necessarily angry with Su, but more that she was pointing out the obvious.

“I’m not leaving my sister short-handed. You need me even if you’re too stubborn to admit it. Zaofu is perfectly safe with the guards and security I left behind.”

“But are those guards safe without _you_ there? Kuvira may take your absence as the opportunity to escape or overthrow Zaofu.”

“Lin, stop being the pessimist for once in your life. Kuvira’s a changed woman. You witnessed the trial and her actions to take down Guan and Sheng. On the miniscule chance that she does have malevolent intentions, I have my boys and Bataar keeping an eye on her, and if worse comes to worse, as a last resort of defense to protect Zaofu.”

Lin growled lowly, still wary about Kuvira. She shook her head, there was no time to focus on that.

“Why? What’s their motive?” the chief debated quietly. That very question had been haunting her ever since this all began. “What do they want?”

As much as her sister didn’t want to discuss Kuvira, Su was beginning to think she may be a beneficial resource. “Lin, you don’t have a husband and kids, but I know Tenzin’s kids and Korra and her friends have slithered their way into your heart even if you don’t want to admit it. If it were one of my children or Bataar, I’d be filled with rage, but in this situation where the police have no sense of direction, I’d be a rampaging badgermole.”

Lin narrowed her eyes. “What’s the point of this story? To tell me I’m doing a shitty job?”

“Maybe,” Su teased with a flick of her wrist. “Humans have a difficult time understanding the abstract, and that’s what this is. By not showing their face, their message, we are overwhelmed with our emotions. They’re breaking down the public and pitting the public against you. As much as I know you don’t want to hear it, Kuvira may be a good resource for you.”

Lin glared at her sister for making such a preposterous suggestion. Furious, she scratched her chair against the floor and stormed out of the room, leaving Su alone, sighing.

* * *

On Air Temple Island, the friends and Varrick were discussing their next plan of action.

“Varrick, that is a ridiculous plan!” Korra argued. Varrick was standing front and center while the other four were sitting.

“Well, nobody else has made any suggestions,” he hollered, pointing an accusing finger at them. “I want the HSV plans back! What is so ridiculous about one of them posing as a homeless person in the streets and hoping to get snatched up by these people or even recruited?”

“No, absolutely not! None of you are doing that!” Korra ordered, looking at her friends then back at Varrick. “You’ve planned some sneaky operations before, how did your hired men sneak in and out undetected?”

“Running!” he exclaimed, slamming his palms down on the table. “Vehicles are much too noisy. In the beginning, these people may have used vehicles to blend in with the crowd, but now that the streets are sparser than usual, they’d be too vulnerable. They run, can turn invisible, or those victims are long gone by boat and off to the coal mines.”

It sounded cruel, but Varrick made a good point. Most of the victims had been gone at least a month. It was very possible they had all been shipped somewhere else around the world.

It was quiet until Asami spoke. “How’s Zhu Li doing? Is the press letting up at all on her?”

Varrick huffed and sat back down. “That guy had some nerve saying what he did last month and sending the media into a frenzy! Word on the street is that he’s enjoying his ‘retirement’ and travelling around the United Republic. He pops into Republic City just to bash my wife. If I had one of those mecha suits and knew how to operate it, I’d gladly slam him into the ground and listen to all the bones in his body snap!”

“Raiko actually visited her last week.” All eyes went to Bolin in disbelief he didn’t mention it earlier, but he quickly began waving his hands. “I wasn’t there when he came! Kaida was, and she told me Zhu Li didn’t look pleased after he left. Whatever was said behind those doors was only heard between them. Kaida usually has a knack for knowing all the gossip, but she didn’t hear a thing.”

“I didn’t like Raiko before, and I don’t like him now. He’s purposely trying to turn the public against her. If he truly cared about the city, he’d be trying to _help_ us instead of galivanting around the United Republic,” Korra criticized and began cracking her knuckles. “I think we should go have a little talk with him.”

“No, Korra,” Mako stressed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Being a detective and sworn in officer of the law, he had to be the voice of reason. “We can’t go barging into the former president’s house without any leads, cause, or a warrant.”

“On the contrary, that’s exactly what these two ladies and Beifong did to Zhu Li and me on massage night. And the police the night before that!”

“I was looking for you, Varrick, not Zhu Li.”

Since their plans had been stolen, it seemed he and Asami were spending more time together than before. They’d had their previous business relationship since he was her shipping partner, but now whenever he was free, he seemed to slither his way into their team meetings. Because Asami was singled out, neither made a move to create a new set of diagrams for the HSV. It didn’t stop him from complaining though.

In all honesty, Varrick’s complaints were the least of Asami’s worries.

* * *

Team Avatar decided to investigate the city again, hoping to discover something hidden in the dark. But the handful of times they’d conducted an investigation at night, they came up empty handed.

In preparation. they were all taking naps. Korra and Asami were sleeping peacefully in her old room. They were facing each other, but not in each other’s arms. Korra was seemingly dead to the world, but Asami seemed more restless the longer she slept.

Asami shot up, breathing heavily in a cold sweat until she realized it was all a dream again, seeing she was safe on Air Temple Island. Tired, exhausted from her ill-ridden fantasies, her face fell into her hands in an attempt to rid herself of the nightmares.

“Baby?” Korra sat up and wrapped an around her waist much like she’d done the last month.

“I’m sorry,” she groaned, still trying to catch her breath.

“Which dream was it this time?”

Asami blinked into her hands, thinking about all the dreams. Dreams about her plans falling into the wrong hands and being used against her, her friends, and the city. There’d been no reports of her specialty gloves or hybrid vehicles anywhere in the world, but the mind was a powerful place for one’s most petrifying fears.

“This one…it was different. We won against Kuvira, but my dad wasn’t involved. He escaped prison. He was still hell-bent on bringing equality to non-benders and was the mastermind behind everything. We were fighting in mecha suits then he ripped my suit open and delivered the final blow.”

“Despite everything, you know he loved you, Asami. His letters and actions proved that. He saved everyone and sacrificed his life.”

“I know.” Her voice cracked saying that, trying to her keep tears at bay. She read more of her his letters after the nightmares started coming, hoping they would pacify her mind, but if anything, his regretful words and fond memories made them worse. To retain the little sanity she had, she had to stop reading them for now. “Korra, if these people are manufacturing those gloves again and somehow create a working HSV from half-finished plans, I’m afraid it’s going to be my father again. Future Industries will be ruined. I’ll be ruined.”

“It’s going to be alright.” Korra pulled her in closer, letting Asami’s face rest in the crook of her neck. No tears were shed from her, but she was trembling, reminding Korra of Asami’s mindset after her brainwashing under Sheng. “I won’t let that happen. Not on my watch. Nothing is going to happen to Future Industries. Nothing is going to happen you. I promise,” she whispered, kissing the top of her head.

Neither woman saw the point in returning to sleep and prepared for the night. They gathered some food for a snack in the dining room while waiting for the boys and Opal.

Asami was so focused on shifting the food on her plate, lost in her thoughts, that she hadn’t noticed Korra leave the room until a bowl of water was placed beside her plate. Korra positioned herself behind her and bent the water out and placed them against her temples. The cool water mixed with Korra’s healing abilities eased the tension in Asami’s head once more which became a regular occurrence the last month.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Korra returned the water to the bowl and hugged Asami from behind, burying her face into her neck. “We can take them if they try to make your gloves and HSV, and if they’ve been shipped around the world, I’ll track every one down and destroy it. Remember when we were being shipped off to the Earth Queen in Cabbage Corp’s airship? They can steal your plans, but they’re not Asami Sato, the greatest engineer in the world. They’ll be absolute shit.”

A smile broke out on Asami’s face. “Yeah, Cabbage Corp is pretty bad. It’s hard to believe they put an effort into stealing from there. Maybe I need to look into making all of our personal vehicles Avatar proof in case we’re ever hijacked and you’re over aggressive with the bending again.”

“With your brilliant, beautiful mind, I bet they already are.”

They had a year of dating under their belts, but every time Korra complimented her, it still brought butterflies to her stomach as if it was the first time. Tipping Korra’s face to hers, Asami captured her lips in hers, thanking her for the compliment and her full support.

“I think I need to test that hypothesis. You know me, I have to be thorough and make sure my products are top of the line, but even more so if they’re carrying our team.” She removed her lips from Korra’s and moved them to her right ear, lowly asking, “Would you be interested in helping me with that, Avatar?”

Korra gulped at the innuendo. Asami pulled back to reveal the mischievous look in her eyes and a smirk on her tantalizing red lips that Korra wanted to nibble on right that instant. “I’d be very interested.”

Before anything else could be said or done, three sets of footsteps barged into the dining room and practically tackled the two women to the floor. Rohan found a comfortable spot in Asami’s arms.

“Korra!”

“We wanna help on your top-secret mission! You need our help! You need Meelo the Man!”

“You never let us help you on your missions! I can be quiet and sneak into small spaces for you!”

“Kids, you’re too young to be wandering the streets this late at night.” Not only that, but secretly, Korra worried about any of them being one of the next victims. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if that happened or be able to look Tenzin in the eyes ever again. Especially after the Jinora incident several years ago, the fear in his voice and appearance was ingrained in her mind forever. “Your job is to stay here on the island and stay on high alert. We’ve got this.”

“You and your friends get to have all the fun! We’re strong, we can fight!”

“Meelo,” Asami started, smiling sweetly at him with a head tilt, “you, Ikki, and Jinora have the most important mission. You have to watch your parents back and protect Rohan since he’s still very new to airbending.” Rohan was silent, but snuggled into her chest.

“Alright,” he reluctantly agreed. “Can we at least help you guys with your strategies?”

Ikki and Meelo went over routes and strategies with them. Rohan ended up falling asleep, but she didn’t mind. Meelo took charge and Ikki had all the information about every road and location like she built the roads instead of Asami.

When Mako, Bolin, and Opal joined them, the kids quickly summarized the plan they devised for them. Asami made a quick detour to Rohan’s bed and tucked him in, kissing him on the forehead then joining her friends.

They already had a plan for the night, but they were going to merge part of the kids’ plan into theirs as well. They had nothing to lose. Fresh eyes and fresh ideas may lead to something to work with.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Korra and Opal watched from the skies, but nothing unusual was spotted. Midnight approaching, the full moon hung high in the sky, showing everyone its beauty and light whether they wanted to see it or not, illuminating the city’s architecture and the team as they tirelessly roamed the streets.

A creak reverberated against the buildings surrounding them. All of them offensively braced themselves, but as quickly as it came, no more creaks came. Korra and Asami knew better though, both having faced unknown forces hidden in the shadows before that were targeting them.

In the distance, the spirit portal shined like a beacon. A lightbulb went off in Korra’s head, her eyes widening at the realization and her own stupidity.

“The portal. That’s it!” Korra exclaimed, pulling Asami in the direction of the car unexpectedly.

“Hold up, what about the portal?” Mako called out as they chased after her.

“The spirits may have seen something that we haven’t or the portal itself may be the missing part to connect all the dots.”

“But Korra, we’ve been watching the portal,” Opal countered as everyone hopped in the car and Asami drove in the direction of the spirit portal.

“Not all day though. Ever since the Keum incident, we have kept eyes on the portal, yes, but there’s always a weak point.”

At the portal, Korra ran in without waiting for her friends. They trailed behind her as they too ran into the portal and to the spirit world. The Avatar stood a few paces ahead of them, looking up. The flower field that was once destroyed by the spirits had return to all its glory, the flowers blowing slightly with the breeze.

“Dragon eel spirit, I need to speak with you,” Korra called out through cupped hands, but nothing came. The spirits continued to live their lives as if no humans had entered their home.

“What about the dragon bird spirit? It always knew where you were when we visited,” Asami suggested, coming to stand next to Korra.

“You mean that enormous spirit that’s nose bombing us right now,” Bolin shrieked, pointing above them.

The dragon bird spirit gracefully landed on the ground in front of them despite its fast entrance.

“I need the dragon eel spirit,” Korra informed the dragon bird, rubbing its offered head. It nodded its head in understanding and took off. Seconds later, the dragon eel appeared before her.

“To what does the Avatar believe we owe her world now?”

“Please, we need your help. Have any of the spirits witnessed any suspicious individuals entering and exiting the spirit world using two different portals? Or even witnessed suspicious activity in the spirit wilds or Republic City? Citizens have been kidnapped, Citizens have been robbed, and corporations have been infiltrated,” Korra explained calmly, knowing her relationship with the dragon eel was strenuous.

“Hmm…I have heard of your human crisis, but the answer is no,” he responded, floating around the group, examining each of them. “A handful of humans have trickled in and out of the spirit world, but ones who respect the spirits and our land. Since the police station was blown up, the spirits have retreated back to the spirit wilds and the spirit world, much too afraid of the conflicts you’ve posed.”

“There has to be something that someone has seen. Are there any distraught spirits that would resort to kidnapping humans for revenge?”

“You _dare_ accuse the spirits of harboring humans!” the spirit screeched within inches of Korra’s face, making her cringe. “May I remind you that _you_ were the one who left the original portals open then created this new one in the heart of Republic City. The spirits have committed no such crime, but would be justified if they so choose to, Avatar.” On that ending note, the spirit vanished.

“I don’t think you should’ve accused the spirit right to its face,” Bolin commented and received a dirty look from Korra.

“Damn it, I really thought this was the answer,” Korra mumbled and bit her bottom lip in frustration. “Let’s check on the spirit wilds anyway.”

But the spirit wilds held no answers either. It was close to two in the morning at that point, and with nothing to show for their night, exited the spirit wilds, disappointed and disheartened. Right before they got into the car, a chill ran through Korra’s spine.

“Guys, stop. Be quiet for a minute.” She closed her eyes, enhancing her hearing. Silence, but she knew something or someone was nearby. She could feel it in her bones. She looked to the rooftops, spinning around and watching above, expecting an aerial attack, but the skies were dark, smattered with sparkling stars and the full moon.

A piercing scream and heavy footsteps cracked the silence. It was so unexpected that Bolin jumped and let out a little yelp of his own. Korra took the lead, pointing at Asami and Opal to follow her and indicating to Mako and Bolin to follow closely behind in case it was a trap.

The women stealthily walked in the direction of the scream. The screaming had ceased, but was replaced with crying. It reminded Korra of a wolf getting separated from its pack back home, wounded and alone.

About halfway down the street there was a destroyed kiosk, making it the perfect set up for someone attempting a surprise attack. Korra took a stance and blasted the remains of the kiosk. The debris blew away as well as a little boy with fresh tears running down his face. Once he settled on the pavement, he and the others engaged in a stare off until he scrambled to his feet, running in the opposite direction. Korra quickly remedied that by bending a wall of earth at the end of the street.

The boy ran to where the earth met the building in an attempt to scale it to escape, but Korra clutched the back of his tattered shirt. That sent him into fight mode, and he unleashed a water whip that nearly struck Korra in the cheek.

“Hey, watch it!” Korra hissed at the boy. She bent the water far from his reach and ripped the water skin from his back. “We just want to talk.”

“Let me go!” The boy growled animalistically when he saw the blue eyes. Having no water left and dangling in the air, he spit in the Avatar’s left eye and dug his teeth into her forearm.

“What the hell?” Korra shouted, wiping the spit out of her eye with her free hand. That infuriated her more so than the biting.

“Korra, put him down,” Mako ordered. The Avatar’s patience had increased over the years, but certainly wasn’t her best strength.

Reluctantly, she listened to her friend and dropped the boy. That left the boy on the ground trapped by the building, the earth wall, and the five adults staring down at him, the full moon shining on them and providing their only light.

“Who are you? Ready to finish the job from a few weeks ago?” he spat then literally spit again at Korra who avoided it this time.

“What are you talking about?” Korra asked, genuinely confused, but calmer now.

“Pfft, don’t pretend you don’t know.”

“Kid, let’s be straight. We’re the good guys.” Mako loomed over him, asserting his authority and blocking some of the moon’s rays. “You’re obviously a street kid. My brother and I were on the streets too so we know all the tricks in the book. I’m also a cop who can make your life a living hell. Are you acting as a decoy for a surprise attack right now by whoever’s kidnapping citizens?”

“Ha! Me? More like you!” he snarled, rising up. However, he was very short. He was a koala sheep trying to be a saber tooth lion.

That was when Asami realized why this situation, this child seemed so familiar. Examining the boy closer, the disheveled look, the fire in his midnight blue eyes, and despite being at their mercy, the way he held himself in his position were all familiar.

_“Stay away from my sister! She’s off limits!”_

“You’re that boy,” Asami spoke, drawing the attention of the others and the boy. “You thought Korra was attacking your sister after she bound my feet with her earthbending.”

He neither confirmed or denied her statement, but looked into the soft, green eyes of the tallest woman staring at him. Then he turned to the others and released a little growl.

Korra remembered the boy now. “You think that’s going to intimidate us? What were you talking about earlier about finishing a job? Did you see a suspicious figure in the streets?”

“All you criminals look the same to me,” he mumbled, kicking the dirt underneath his feet. “You should know. You’re all pretty stupid right now being in the open like this.”

“Buddy, we’re the good guys.” Bolin dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around the boy against his wishes and his brother’s wishes. He thrashed, but didn’t bite or spit. “We heard you screaming and crying and thought you were one of the bad guys. Let’s start over. Have you seen anyone who has been kidnapping people or anyone robbing any houses?”

“No,” he muttered, finally getting out of his grip and shutting his eyes, “No, I failed,” He fell onto the payment into the feeble position with fresh tears spilling over his dark cheeks. “She never returned. She always returns! They stole her. I know they did!”

“He might be our best lead for something,” Korra whispered to Mako, taking in the scene and feeling a little bad for him. “Should we bring him with us? He might have more information if we feed him and get him a bath.”

As much as Mako didn’t want to bring a street rat with them, he figured he wouldn’t do much harm if they kept him away from water and kept an eye on him. Korra went to pick him up, but he began flailing again and bit her hand this time, drawing blood. She stepped back and shook her hand out, gritting her teeth. Asami, however, stepped forward towards the boy who was muttering and staring at the ground now.

“Do you want to find your sister?” Asami softly asked and crouched down to his level. Hearing that, he gazed up at her and nodded. “We’re going to go to my home now. We can get you a hot meal, a bath, and a bed for the night. In exchange for that, you’re going to tell us more about that night she was supposedly stolen. Okay?”

Like magic, he calmed down and nodded again. Something about Asami was the key to getting through to him. She held out her gloved hand, electricity off. She didn’t disclose the shock he could receive if he tried anything funny. But after a moment’s hesitation and appraisal, accepted the offering.

Finally, they were on their way back to Asami’s home, but they had some more investigation work to do. The child sat in the back next to Opal who he didn’t seem to have a problem with, but wasn’t exactly exchanging pleasantries with.

Blaring police vehicles erupted in all of Republic City, and a police airship flew overhead of them. One of those vehicles happened to have Beifong, who stopped the group.

“Air Temple Island! Now!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. Thoughts and theories?
> 
> PSA: classes resume next week for me unfortunately. As I said before, everything's prewritten and at this point just needs proofread and minors edits. But I'm going to try my best to keep updating once a week or so! 
> 
> Check out One Look and I Ignite for laughs in the meantime which will be completed by this time next week!
> 
> Tumblr: mysky27


	8. The Deep End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: January 28, 2021 1:15PM

_“Identification is not the same as knowing someone through and through.”_

_― Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care_

* * *

Perilous ice shrouded parts of Air Temple Island. These weren’t little blocks of ice used as defense against an attack. They were massive, a signal for all to see. Overhead, the almost blinding full moon revealed the distress to anyone who looked in the vicinity, the gleaming rays bouncing off the ice and into the city.

That was the funny thing about ice: it could simultaneously be beautiful _and_ fatal.

Air acolytes and airbenders spoke with officers. Those who weren’t speaking with officers were gathered in the common rooms, much too anxious to go back to sleep. No one appeared to be injured, but more shook up than anything.

Meelo told everyone about his encounter. He had woken up, parched, and headed towards the kitchen to get a drink when he stumbled upon a black cloaked figure wandering the halls. The young airbender sent a gust of wind towards the figure, but the intruder dodged and retaliated with a strong water bullet. All the commotion woke the others, but they weren’t alone as a few more intruders revealed themselves.

“I had them until they fought dirty and froze us! If I see those guys again, I’m going to make them pay. They escaped with boats!”

“I sent some officers in the directions that the boats went. They may be going to the Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom. Did they steal anything?” Lin inquired, looking at Tenzin.

“As far as I can tell, no, but I haven’t had a chance to check all the rooms thoroughly. I don’t know what they could possibly want to steal from here.”

“My guess is they wanted to kidnap Rohan and Meelo. You did a good job, protecting yourself and your home,” Lin praised with a tiny grin for Meelo. He produced a wide smile and did a little dance. Turning to Team Avatar, the chief said, “I want you to remain here on the island for the rest of the night in case they try coming back. This is the closest we’ve come to getting a solid lead.”

They agreed and began discussing more in depth about what occurred. Something wasn’t adding up though for the detective.

“This seems pretty sloppy compared to the rest of this case. Up this point, whoever these people are made no attempts to make a grand entrance appearance wise _._ All of a sudden a bunch of waterbenders invade the island and show their cards?”

“I’ve been trying to figure that out myself,” Lin mused. “I’m wondering if the full moon has anything to do with it. I have to date it back to see if it was a full moon when the station was bombed and the corporations were robbed. If it was a full moon, they may use full moon nights for grand statements and the rest of the month for smaller statements, the small-scale robberies and the kidnappings.”

“We have to check out the Triple Threats again. This seems like something they’d do, and if something is missing from here, I’d bet they could get a lot of money for ancient Air Nation artifacts if they did take anything. Waterbenders attack Air Temple Island. Earthbenders attack Korra and Asami. Firebenders attack Asami’s office. It’s every element except air. The Triple Threats must be hiding something, somewhere.”

“Who are you? Why are you on our island?” Meelo questioned accusingly, interrupting the main conversation. He just now noticed the dirty little boy hiding behind Asami.

Everyone had forgotten about him. Having nowhere else to go, he silently followed the others. Meelo approached him with his chest puffed out, ready to defend his home again. Ikki and Jinora backed him up a few feet behind, but made no attempt to be intimidating.

“I’ll ask you again, who are you?” he pressed, leaning forward with his hands on his hips. Only Asami’s left leg separated the two boys. The boy from the streets growled again, clearly not in the mood to talk to him.

“He’s…the lead we found tonight?” Korra answered for him with a worried smile. “His sister was supposedly stolen a while back so we were going back home to get some sleep and question him further.”

“That’s…awfully _convenient_ ,” Beifong replied flatly, analyzing him. “On the night Air Temple Island gets attacked by waterbenders, you find a boy who looks like he has Water Tribe blood.”

“Now that you mention it…” Mako trailed off, looking at him again. The boy snarled, but it didn’t faze him. He crossed his arms over his chest, cop face on. “Tell us the truth. Right. Now.”

“Screw you!”

“Hey,” Asami placed a hand on his shoulder and drew his attention, “we’re just trying to get to the bottom of everything. The quicker we get through this, the quicker we can all get some sleep. Did someone pay you with money, food or shelter to keep the Avatar busy?”

His eyes widened at the revelation and shifted to Korra. He hadn’t realized that she was the Avatar. “No, we never associated with anyone else. I don’t even know any other waterbenders. I learned everything I know _myself_.”

Seeing they were not getting anywhere, Beifong ordered everyone to get some sleep and start fresh in the morning. Her parting words were, “Keep an eye on him, that elbow leech.”

Bolin and Mako led him over to the boys’ dormitory, promising to keep an eye on him. It didn’t escape Asami’s sight that he was still being hostile towards Mako. He wasn’t particularly friendly with Bolin, but it didn’t look like he was about to bite him.

Running from one place to another made Korra forget that when the boy bit her he drew blood. Asami was the one who reminded her as she reached out for her hand and felt the dry line of blood coating her hand.

“I swear for as much growling he’s done tonight, he’s half animal. If he was a saber-tooth moose lion and bit a finger off, that’d be a different story especially if he had some animal disease,” she lightly joked, throwing her a small smile. Asami wasn’t impressed with the joke. “Relax, it’s nothing I can’t handle. A little bit of water, and I’ll be fine. I won’t even be sore in the morning.”

Asami shook her head, thinking about his odd behavior. “There’s something he’s not telling us. Do you think if you used healing on him to calm his mind, it’d make him more willing to talk?”

Korra stopped in the middle of the hallway and closed her eyes, sighing loudly and slapping a hand against her face. “That’s why I love having you by my side. I’m stupid for not thinking of it before. I don’t know if it’ll make him talk, but it’ll hopefully make him more civilized and no one else will be at risk for an attack.”

“You’re not stupid. Just sleep deprived.” Asami gave her a quick kiss. “Come on, we need some sleep.”

* * *

Over breakfast, the four friends devised a fairly simple game plan. Korra would use her healing abilities to balance his mind and hope he’d be more cooperative. They needed answers desperately. This was either going to end terribly, with some key miniscule information, or be another dead end.

On their way to the boys’ dormitory, they’d run into Opal who had been helping Tenzin check the island for anything missing. As it turned out, one of Tenzin’s bison whistles was missing as well as a few airsuits. The group found those odd items to steal, but then again, so were the other items from others who were robbed.

Besides Asami’s office. They’d have to think about it more later and with Beifong’s expertise.

Mako opened the door where the boy was staying, revealing a vacant room. The only sign that someone had occupied the room was the messy bed.

“Where is he, Mako?” Korra jabbed him in the chest. “I swear, if you’ve lost him, Beifong is going to kick all our asses!”

“Me? You’re the one who suggested we bring him we us in the first place!”

“Guys, let’s calm down,” Bolin interjected, physically getting in between them before one of them did or said something they’d regret. “If he really left, he couldn’t have gotten far. Let’s split up and check the island.”

As it turned out, it didn’t require them to split up outside. The sound of airbending, creaking gates, and an all too familiar commanding voice gave way to where he was. By the airbending gates that were once the Avatar’s bane of existence were Meelo and the boy who was now wearing traditional airbending clothes and looking uncomfortable.

“But I’m not an airbender.”

“I don’t care what you are! You will master this technique to prove you didn’t invite those intruders onto my family’s home!” Meelo commanded. He blasted a gust of wind through the gates and shoved the boy into the rapidly spinning gates. “Be the leaf! Or I’ll throw you into Yue Bay for trespassing!”

The all too familiar sound of a body pinballing and colliding with every single gate met Korra’s ears. She grimaced, remembering how different she was when she embarked on learning airbending from a master. This boy wasn’t an airbender so it wasn’t really a fair comparison, but those gates would not discriminate in serving up pain to anyone who dared enter without proper technique.

“Meelo,” Korra warned, walking up to him, “why did you take him out of the room he was in?”

“To prove his worth!”

“And you think the gates will do that?” Just as she finished asking, he was forced out of the side, thrown onto his backside, sliding on the ground. Asami being the great woman she was, helped him sit up. “He’s not an airbender, and he doesn’t have any airbending blood. Play nice, okay? You should be eating with your family anyway.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, walking back inside.

Korra returned to the others where the boy was sitting on the ground between the three of them. Thinking a less hostile approach may work better, she crouched down, but the boy flinched and shielded himself with his arms. “I think we got off on the wrong foot last night. First off, what’s your name? We can call you Elbow Leech if you insist on not telling us so choose your poison.”

For a few moments, he didn’t move. Tiny arms continued to protect his body, but when nothing happened, he slowly lowered them. He was silent, looking into the eyes of the four adults staring at him.

“Hisakata.”

* * *

Back inside, the friends gathered around a table with Hisakata. Asami fixed him a plate of food and laid it out in front of him. For several moments, he just stared at it as if he’d never seen food before.

“Go ahead, it’s safe,” Asami gently coaxed, smiling at him.

Cautiously, he brought a bite of food to his mouth. He turned ravenous shoving bite after bite of food into his mouth. The emptiness of his stomach came to the forefront as a proper meal entered his system. What he was eating was of no concern, just that it was food that wasn’t from the trash or a sketchy food kiosk.

“How about you tell us about yourself, buddy?” Bolin suggested, but quickly waved it off. “Wait, wait, wait! I don’t think we introduced ourselves properly so we’ll start! I’m Bolin. The brooding guy’s my brother, Mako. The lovely lady who got you food is the generous, drop dead gorgeous Asami Sato. And last but not least, Southern Water Tribe Native, our esteemed Avatar Korra, but we all just call her Korra.”

Instead of responding, he continued shoving food into his mouth like an animal. Mako didn’t like that.

“It’s your turn, kid.” The detective impatiently snapped his fingers, but he continued to ignore them. Mako narrowed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath at the defiant child. “You know it’s rude to ignore someone when they ask you a direct question. Very disrespectful in an officer’s presence and the Avatar.”

The boy’s body went rigid, food halfway towards his mouth. It never made it to his mouth, but dropped back onto the plate and shoved away, appetite gone. He directed his gaze at the wall then muttered just clear enough for them to hear, “Midori’s gone; I’ve been alone for weeks.”

“You’re a street kid,” Mako added, arms across his chest. “What’s the story behind that?”

He whipped his attention back to the friends, eyes infuriated, lips curled up in a snarl, and clearly not a fan of Mako. “I don’t work for any of those damn Triads if that’s what you’re insinuating!” He looked down in his lap, breathing heavily. “She died three years ago. He left. Hopefully dead in a ditch somewhere.”

He left it at that. Bolin looked over at his brother, silently pleading with him to lose the detective façade or at least dial it down. Of the four of them, they knew what it was like on the streets. But what Bolin was forgetting was that they weren’t even sure if he was telling the truth or not. That was what was preventing the detective from dropping his suspicions.

“How old are you and Midori?” Korra asked, breaking the pause in their conversation.

“I’m seven. She’s eight. We’re not from Republic City, but street kids attract less attention here so we came here and have wandered the streets ever since.” That was more than any of them expected to get from him for one question.

“I’m going to try something, okay?” Korra informed, touching his shoulder. He jerked back, not expecting it, and threw her hand off of him. He narrowed his eyes, still suspicious of her. She held up her hands, trying to earn his trust. “Avatar’s promise, I am not doing anything that will harm you.”

After a thorough examination of the Avatar, he finally gave a little nod. Korra bent water out of the pitcher on the table and went to place them against his temples, but he cringed back again, this time towards Asami.

“I’m not injured!”

“It helps calm your mind and completely safe. It feels like you’re on a plushy cloud. It’s actually quite relaxing. She’s done it for me on many occasions,” Asami explained, hoping to assuage him. In a last effort attempt to help him, she twisted in her chair and placed her hands on his shoulders. Unlike Korra, he didn’t react as aversely or move to shove them off. “If you’re telling the truth and not involved with these criminals, we’ll find Midori and everyone else.”

The tension in his body left and he sighed. He relaxed in his seat with his back towards Asami and his front towards Korra, bowing his head down in submission and closing his eyes.

The moment glowing water touched his skin, he became loose. The weight of everything he’d been holding seemed to evaporate. “That feels amazing,” he lowly spoke, almost hypnotized by the water’s properties. “Healing can be used for your mind?”

“To an extent,” she answered, feeling much of his energy twisted up. “Like injuries, depending on the severity and significance, it can help soothe and heal the body in many ways, but it’s not always a miracle worker, unfortunately.”

He hummed and allowed the Avatar to work her magic. Asami pulled her hands back, admiring her girlfriend hard at work in calming him.

After a few minutes, Asami went in for the kill.

“Tell us about the night Midori went missing.”

Only Korra saw his eyes clench shut and a pained expression overtake him. “She went to go pickpocketing. She was taking longer than usual so I went looking, but couldn’t find her. I went back to our hideout, but she never came. A few days passed and she never came back. She would _never_ leave me this long.”

It wasn’t definite proof that she’d been stolen. It was speculation from a street kid, raising red flags for Mako. Something was fishy.

“Why were you hiding in that destroyed kiosk yesterday? Remember, Bolin and I were on the streets for many years. You don’t have nearly as much experience, but like you said, being out in the open like that’s dangerous.”

“I…“

The hesitation caused Mako to lean forward on his palms and frown at him. “Spit it out! Did you just make up that story about your sister? You’re someone’s whipping boy! I bet she’s hiding out in some hole, waiting for you to return with your haul. Or better yet, she abandoned you and you’re wasting our time.”

“Shut up! Shut up! She’d never do that!” he screamed, covering his ears, causing Korra to back up and stop bending. “She’d never leave. She’d never leave me. No, no, no.”

“Then tell us what happened! Who’re you working for?” Bolin attempted to calm his brother, but the damage was done already.

“No one! No one! It’s only me and her!” Hisakata was shaking and rocking himself in his seat.

Korra and Asami both shot daggers at Mako for completely losing his cool in this situation.

Korra watched the trembling boy. She gently lifted up his chin and locked eyes with his. “Hey, look here. Stay with me. Ignore him. Focus on me.” She returned the water to his temples and treaded carefully with her question. “Where were you last night? What do you remember?”

Hisakata tried with all his might to remember and block out the world around him. He shut his eyes, trying to focus on the previous night and speaking to the others as he remembered bits.

He was walking down the street. He was off to find a trash pile to sleep for the night in the Dragon Flats borough when the world was suddenly on its side then black. The next thing he knew, he was waking up and crying and face to face with them.

“How can we believe anything he says?” Mako grumbled, having finally calmed down from his outburst. “We found him nowhere near Dragon Flats. Half of his stories aren’t even connecting and are likely lies. You can’t trust him. You had a brief encounter with them. We’re wasting our time. He has no legitimate or valid connections to this case.”

Korra froze at Mako’s aggravated words, the water splashing onto Hisakata’s lap.

 _“To be able to use this power, you need to know who you’re searching for_ and _have a connection to that person. It doesn’t have to be a strong one like when you found Wu, but a brief encounter at the least.”_

“You’re pawns,” she whispered, connecting all the dots. “We’re going to the vines!”

* * *

Lin begrudgingly sat with Su beside her. Su was talking happily into the phone to her husband while Lin was tapping her foot obnoxiously on the ground, sick of waiting around on police time.

“Okay, enough socializing!” Lin stole the phone from her. “Put Kuvira on the phone.”

“Ah, Lin, hello to you too. Give me one moment.”

There was some rustling on the other end. _“Hello?”_

“Kuvira, this is Chief Beifong.”

_“You don’t say? I would’ve never guessed from that gruff, no-shit tone.”_

“Don’t be a smart ass. I need insight into your mind as an enemy of the nation.”

_“Former enemy of the nation. Give me your worse, Chief.”_

“Last night, waterbenders infiltrated Air Temple Island during a full moon. While they were sneaking on, Avatar Korra and her friends found a young boy from the streets who claims his sister has been kidnapped by the people who’ve been kidnapping everyone else. He’s clearly of Water Tribe descent. It seems too convenient _._ ”

_“And you need to call me to tell you what the issue is here? I’ve heard murmurs about what’s been happening the United Republic. They’ve obviously set some sort of trap as part of their strategy, but if they’re as good as I expect them to be, they expect you to know that. The Avatar and her friends just happen to stumble upon an abandoned child, a Water Tribe child, the same night waterbenders infiltrate Air Temple Island? I call bullshit. Like what’s occurred so far, they’re pitting you against one another which is brilliant on their part.”_

“Kuvira!” Lin pounded her fist on the desk, not pleased she was slipping back into her old mentality that far.

Kuvira laughed. _“That right there is why they’re brilliant, cunning. And I thought the esteemed chief of police was level headed and rational? I haven’t spoken with anyone outside of the Beifongs and the house staff since I’ve been put on house arrest so scratch me off your list of suspects. Admit it, you’re desperate. Public clawing at your throat, crimes pulling you in every direction that may or may not be related. Who_ can _you trust, Chief?”_

“Do you want me to personally fly down to Zaofu and rip that cocky smirk off your face and smack the smart ass remarks out of you?”

_“Oh, calm down, Lin. I’m just pulling your cables. You’re the one who called me even though I suspect Su had to badger you about this. I do know one thing for certain. They’ve been clandestine this long, they can continue to be until they’re ready to show their faces, their true message when they’re ready. They control the board and likely have devised the board for many months, maybe even years. It wouldn’t surprise me if they know your tendencies and Korra’s tendencies. You two are the two most prominent figures on this case, are you not?”_

“Are you stupid? Of course we are!”

Kuvira chuckled lowly at the chief’s demeanor, knowing it killed her to be speaking with her. This was one of the most entertaining exchanges she’s had since being locked up. _“That boy you mentioned earlier plays some role in this. That’s up to you to unravel and determine the best strategy. You need to outsmart them at their own game. You can play into their trap with the boy and hope for the best or you can wait for their next move and hope it’s not too late for you to restore balance to the United Republic. The clock is ticking for those hostages, Lin, and perhaps your time as chief.”_

Lin shoved the phone at her sister, having had enough of Kuvira’s smart ass. She angrily pounded her fist on the table, leaving a fist sized dent in the metal. Almost everything Kuvira mentioned was already planted in her head, but hearing it from the former enemy of the state emphasized all of it. Ever since the station blew up and she was off duty, she was determined to catch the perpetrators and find justice for the families being torn apart and for her officers.

Just as Su hung up, Korra burst through the doors with her friends trailing behind.

“They’re in an underwater hideout in the Mo Ce Sea,” she announced loudly, leaning her hands on the desk. She quickly filed the Beifong sisters of what they discovered through Hisakata and how Korra found Midori using her energy. “We know where they are, we need to attack now. We’ll go underwater, earthbend our way in, you two will use your seismic sense, and we’ll fight these guys.”

“No, absolutely not!” Lin stood her ground, rising from her seat. “It’s likely a trap, and they’re going to be ready for us.”

“They’re already ready for us!” Korra threw her hands up. “They’ve been watching our every move, and that’s how they know I’ve interacted with Midori and Hisakata and my ability to connect with people’s energies. We need to move now before they have time to react. It’s been less than a day, surprise will be on our side for once. We can take whoever they are.”

Time did seem to be key to this whole investigation. Corporations and the station blown up just as the Avatar and her friends left the city _and_ the chief was off duty. Kidnappings and robberies happening without so much as a peep that something was wrong until it was too late.

Beifong exhaled loudly and ordered, “Ready the airship and assemble a team of officers to assist.”

* * *

“Are you sure this is the most efficient way to find the exact coordinates?” Beifong questioned skeptically, arms crossed over her chest. She and the others stood by the open airship door over the middle of Mo Ce Sea, Republic City a tiny dot in the distance.

“They’re somewhere underneath Mo Ce Sea, I felt and saw her, but the sea doesn’t exactly have landmarks. I’ll be just a few minutes looking around to see if anything looks familiar and hope I can find her again without the help of the vines like I did with Wu.”

“You’re going to be careful, right?” Asami chimed in from her side, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
Korra threw her a little smirk. “Does everyone forget I grew up in the South? The waves aren’t turbulent, and I handle the water just fine. There’s no sense in dragging the rest of you down there unless this is the right spot.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t worry. Be careful.”

Asami guided her lips to hers in a parting kiss, pouring all her emotions out. She knew there was nothing to worry about, but that’s what love did to a person.

“I always am. You can’t get rid of me.” She sent her a teasing wink. “You’re stuck with me for the long haul, baby.”

Korra leaned a hand against the frame and looked back at her friends, the two Beifongs, and the officers. With a reassuring smile on her lips and a mock salute, she said, “I’ll see you all in a few. Be ready to fly.”

And with that, she jumped out of the airship. Firebending accelerated her descent and waterbending braced her for a softer impact with the sea. The waters were murky, but no challenge for her in her bubble.

Vibrant sea life glided through the water and among sea plants and rock formations. So different than the seas of the South, but so much warmer for which she was thankful for. One large rock formation caught her attention.

Swimming over to it, she examined it closely, recognizing the fine details. It was beautiful and unlike anything she’d laid eyes on. Swirls of blue, gold, grey, black, and veins of green swirled together beautifully. The patches of blue almost seemed to be glowing underneath the sea.

Korra placed her hand on the rock and focused on connecting with Midori’s energy again. The blue beneath her hands appeared to intensify, glowing like healing water. She couldn’t be sure if it was because of her actions or if it was a natural property of the rock. Either way, it provided her the information she needed.

Midori wasn’t far maybe two or so miles south if she’s connecting with her energy right.

* * *

In the skies, the rest of the group waited patiently and anxiously for Korra to emerge from the sea with directions. Many of them were conversing by the door when a low rumble growled outside the airship. They moved to see what the noise was, but not a moment later, a geyser of water shot up, nearly striking the airship.

That geyser wasn’t created by Korra though.

The Avatar wasn’t in sight.

“Korra!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, readers! Sorry for the delay on this story, but I was busy finishing up One Look and I Ignite. If you haven't checked that out, go check it out! Now I've gotta get used to After All This Time's writing style again during edits lol!
> 
> Anyway, more trouble on the horizon it looks like 😬
> 
> Tumblr: mysky27


	9. Reflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: February 4, 2021 11:40AM EST

_“Losing someone we love, or the fear of losing someone we love one day is a difficult experience and we can all relate to it. None of us are an exception to this reality.”_

_― Aamir Khan_

* * *

The young Avatar rested almost lifelessly against a slanted part of the glowing rock that was keeping her from sinking deeper into Mo Ce Sea and to the ocean floor. She wasn’t sure what happened, but she must’ve been knocked out momentarily. Her eyes slowly cracked open, taking in the lively fish swimming by.

Some sort of explosion in the distance caused huge ripples to move across her vision. Through the ripples, she saw some sort of large, dark mass that went almost to the surface not too far away. Water was being disrupted, an explosion going off, but everything was muffled to the Avatar. 

Response time severely lagged, salty sea water tinged with the taste of uncooked fish rushed into the Avatar’s esophagus and lungs, needing to occupy the empty space and unintentionally suffocating the most powerful being in the world. Eyes widening, the Avatar State activated itself, propelling her out of the water and into a water vortex above the sea.

Fulfilling its purpose, the white light faded from her eyes, revealing partially unsettled icy blue eyes. She coughed, naturally expelling the invasive water from her organs then bent the rest out, coughing again at the unusual feeling. The world was beginning to spin, leading her to believe she was whacked in the back of the head hard. 

Dazed, but coherent enough to bend, she firebent herself back to the airship, falling on her knees loudly on the metal floor before her friends.

“Korra!” Asami cried again, falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around her. It was less than a minute from the time the explosion was first heard to her returning, but it was the longest minute of her life. She’d nearly lost her once when she didn’t even realize the feelings she had for her were more than friendship. She wasn’t prepared to face that with her heart on her sleeve.

Korra’s head had a growing bump on her head and bled fresh blood from a small cut. More concerning was the ugly wound covering her lower right side.

After no response from the injured woman, Asami asked in a panic, “Korra, what happened?” All she received was a squinted look and a shake of the head.

Shaking her head was the wrong move. Initially, the pain in her body wasn’t intense, but the high of adrenaline wore off, bringing the pain to the forefront. She tried to fight it off, but it was too much even for her.

The Avatar’s eyes closed and her body slumped over Asami’s shoulder.

* * *

Asami stood in the shadows of the doorway of the sleeping Water Tribe woman. If she didn’t know any better, she’d appear to be sleeping. If she pulled the blanket back though, she’d see the bandages covering her lower right side. No one was exactly sure how she acquired it, but knew it was some sort of bomb, likely a similar one that blew up the station.

“Don’t worry, she’s going to be fine. Nothing’s permanent. In a few days, she’ll be good as new and hearing perfectly fine,” Kya reiterated from behind, squeezing her right shoulder. “Go be with her. She’ll feel your presence.”

Kya’s retreating footsteps echoed in the hall, leaving Asami alone. She was about to step over the threshold when a small hand tugged the bottom of her jacket from behind. He was absent when they all barged in with Korra and waited patiently for her diagnosis.

“Is she…dead?” Hisakata asked with a quivering lip, looking at her with those big, innocent eyes. That look, that vulnerability was what convinced Asami that he had nothing to do with the criminals voluntarily.

“No.” She bent down on one knee to make them closer to equals. “Korra’s just a little banged up. She’s strong, resilient. She just needs some rest.”

“I heard everything. It’s all my fault. _Everything’s_ always my fault,” he whimpered, biting his lip and closing his eyes.

“Nothing is your fault. These people, they’re the ones at fault. Not you, not Korra, and not anyone else who’s been a victim of their crimes.”

He opened his eyes, sneaking a peek at Asami. “Are you going to find Mimi? And everyone else?”

“We are,” she confirmed with a nod. “Would you like to see Korra and see that she’s okay?”

He looked anywhere, but Asami. “Can I?”

Asami smile at him and offered a hand to him which he hesitantly took.

The two of them stood by her peaceful, sleeping form. Hisakata slowly slipped his hand from Asami’s and moved closer to Korra’s head, but made no move to touch her. The worry on his face was evident for the Avatar that he barely knew, but also something else. Asami couldn’t place it, but it was better than attacking like the previous night.

“She kind of looks like my mom did the last time I saw her.” The admission made his whole-body quiver. Those words hit her like a train what she couldn’t place.

“Your mom passed away and your dad abandoned you.” He nodded his head, looking the other way at the floor. She knew all too well of losing a parent and terrified of losing a loved one. “I lost my mom when I was six and my dad last year.”

“Yo-you’re an orphan too?” Shakily, he turned to face her with misty eyes.

Orphan.

That was a funny word for Asami. Asami pulled over two chairs for the two of them to sit in by Korra’s side before she answered.

“Technically, but I’ve never considered myself an orphan. There’ve been times when I’ve felt alone, but I’ve never really been alone. I have Mako, Bolin, and Korra. We have each other’s back no matter the distance, blood or no blood. Midori may not physically be here with you, but I know she’s just as worried about you as you are about her.”

“I miss her,” he whispered, twiddling his fingers in his lap, head down with his hair falling into his face. “It’s felt like an eternity since I’ve seen her, been with her.”

Asami knew it wasn’t intentional, but it reminded her of those three years. Though it was very personal and something that only Korra, their close friends and the airbending family was aware of, something compelled her to sympathize with the boy about it.

“I’ve been in a similar situation. I wasn’t on the streets, but it did feel like a part of my heart was ripped out, part of me was missing, a vital connection to my being. Korra returned home for three years to recover from almost dying. It was only supposed to be a few weeks. A few weeks turned to months. Months turned to years. It felt like an eternity.

“That entire time I had my feelings for her bottled up, and sometimes they became so intense, I’d have an emotional breakdown in my home.” She shook her head and sighed a little. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever have the chance to tell her or that she’d even return them. It was over three years before I saw her again and several more months until I laid it all out on the line.”

“Three _years_?”

Asami nodded, lips in a thin line. “Yes, but those three years have made her into the woman I love, and I know with her assistance on this case, she will not rest until everyone is found.”

Something in his eyes changed that Asami couldn’t detected. She wondered if that was what she looked like during those three years.

“She’s really the Avatar? She doesn’t look like the most powerful human being in the world.” That had Asami bursting out with laughter so loud she was surprised Korra didn’t wake up.

“Hisakata, let me tell you a few stories about her.”

Asami spoke fondly about the woman she loved, telling stories of grandeur and comical adventures. He asked questions, fascinated with every detail about their adventures. Asami needed no book with words or guides to remember them. They would forever reside in her heart.

It was refreshing for Asami to tell their stories to someone completely out of their circle and not being subjected to ridicules for actions and decisions. She could say whatever she wanted. She spoke freely, and the entire time, she kept herself connected to Korra through touch.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen her grab someone’s body or haul them up by their clothing to intimidate them since I’ve met her.” Asami squeezed Korra’s limp hand, smiling at the sleeping form. “Most of the time it’s harmless, but that’s Korra for you. Korra’s a little protective of me, but I know she does it out of love. If someone tries to threaten my girlfriend, I’d be the same way. We will always have each other’s backs in life and battle no matter what.”

“How do you know?”

Asami’s eyebrows furrowed, taking her eyes away from Korra and looking at him. “How do I know what?”

An innocent, almost naïve look on his face, he elaborated, “That you’re willing to lay your life down on the line for each other? That you really love each other?”

It was a completely innocent question. It slipped by her mind that he likely only found out they were a couple an hour ago unless he kept up with the news, but Asami had a feeling he had more pressing issues to deal with than the latest gossip. He probably wasn’t even very familiar with the concept of same-sex couples.

“You’d do the same thing for Midori right?” He nodded enthusiastically. “It’s like that, it’s just a different kind of love. Honestly, it’s difficult to explain the love between Korra and I. Not everyone accepts it or even understands it. We’re distinguished figures in the world, but the fact that we can be completely vulnerable and exposed with one another when we can’t with the rest of the world lest we be deemed as incompetent, is one thing that makes ours special and rare. We can laugh, we can joke, we can sob, we have no boundaries with one another. There are no limits to what we can and will do for one another.”

The child nodded slowly, but Asami had a feeling he didn’t grasp her explanation completely. It was a peculiar question for a seven-year-old in the first place, turning the wheels in her head of why he asked.

Asami held her hand out for him, figuring it was getting late for him and that was a good place to stop. They walked silently together back to the room he was taking temporary residence in. Like it was second instinct, she helped him get situated in the bed, tucking the blankets around him to keep him warm.

For the time being, it seemed he was going to take residence on Air Temple Island, but afterwards, then what? Others were still skeptical about him and until the criminals revealed themselves, it seemed his destiny was unknown.

“Get some sleep. Don’t let Meelo bully you into airbending training.” Some messy brown hair fell over his eyes. She reached up to sweep the hair away from his eyes much like she often did with Korra.

“No promises,” he murmured, lolling his head to the side with a tiny smile and closing his eyes. Asami caressed his small cheek for a second then turned on her heel, quietly shutting the door behind her.

She walked the corridors back to Korra’s room alone. Night fell upon them a long time ago, leaving the island dark once again with only tiny specks of light from the twinkling stars. The others had left a while ago, wanting to give Asami and Korra privacy and plan their next course of action.

Korra was exactly where she was left. The entire time she and Hisakata were talking, she hadn’t stirred in the slightest which was unusual for her. Korra was definitely a jostler when sleeping alone.

She was overreacting. Korra was here alive and well. A few bombs weren’t going to take her down if she had anything to do it, but that’s what love did to a person.

Sleeping in a chair wasn’t going to be kind to her body, but the alternatives of squeezing into the twin bed or finding an empty bed weren’t suitable. Unfortunately, Korra wasn’t in her old room, but one of the rooms designated for the ill.

Intertwining their fingers together, she left a loving kiss on the back of Korra’s hand, hoping that despite her unconsciousness, Korra felt it and knew she was by her side.

One minute she was chatting about all the recent news and gossip at work with Korra like she was awake. The next minute green, troubled eyes shot open, body snapping up from its slumped over position on the bed, heart pounding against her chest. She pushed aside her hair that blocked her vision to find Korra fast asleep, chest rising and falling regularly. The sight did nothing to calm herself.

Once again, her mind conjured nightmares terrifying enough to rouse her. Korra never emerged from the water.

One minute turned to five. Five turned to ten. By then, they’d dove in the water themselves, but none of them could hold their breath long enough to locate her or even get a visual on her. It took several hours and several calls to find the best waterbenders to locate her mangled, lifeless body. As she cried for the love of her life, a nefarious laugh echoed in the background.

“Fuck.” Asami slide her hands over her face, trying to wipe the nightmare out of her mind. Almost every time she closed her eyes at night, her mind was plagued with nightmares. Couldn’t she be blessed with a pleasant dream for once? Or even a dreamless night? Was that too much to ask for?

Releasing a deep breath, Asami leaned her elbows on her thighs with her head hung low.

“You really scared all of us, Korra. You know, we’re getting older and you have to stop giving us all heart attacks.” She chuckled humorlessly, closing her eyes momentarily. When she opened them again, they were glassy as she looked at her fondly and placed a hand over hers again. “I know I can’t ask for that considering you’re the all-mighty Avatar. The world can’t lose you. I _can’t_ lose you again. I’m going to be by your side. For the rest of our lives.”

* * *

Piercing sunlight burst into her room. Signs of daylights were not welcome in Korra’s eyes. Birds tweeted outside the windows like all was good in the world, but a sharp sting in her lower right abdomen thumped. Her fingers were met with fresh, clean bandages. Reluctantly, she pried her eyes open against the evil light to find she was on Air Temple Island. Beside her bedside was two empty seats.

Pushing through the pain, she sat up and swung her legs over the left side of the bed, clutching at her side. It wasn’t the worse pain she ever felt, but it was slowing her down. She needed water to soothe the pain.

Her legs nearly collapsed under her from lack of use when she attempted to stand like she was a newborn ostrich horse. How long was she out? She took a moment to recompose herself and stretch her legs out before opening the door and walking down the hall.

The movement helped to circulate the blood in her body, waking it up. Except a dull ringing in her ears was cause for concern. She tried slapping her ear and even waterbending, believing one or the other would return her hearing.

A hand on her shoulder from behind scared her. “Shit!” she screamed loudly, almost punching Kya who’d approached her from behind.

Kya’s words were blending together. The frustration was clear on the younger woman’s face. The master healer guided Korra back to bed and began a healing session.

First, with her abdomen wound. All the tension seemed to vanish from her body with a soft sigh as Kya healed the wound. Her whole body melted, surrendering to the sensation and letting her chi freely flow to where it was needed most to heal.

Kya moved her hands to focus on her ears. It wasn’t as relieving as her wound, but she could sense the water was helping restore her hearing. Unfortunately, her full hearing wasn’t repaired yet, but Kya was able to restore a generous amount.

The two waterbenders walked alongside each other to the dining room where Asami was with Tenzin and his family, lacking Hisakata. Asami was in the middle of conversing with Jinora when she spotted Korra. Relieved, she jumped from her seat and grabbed her face in her hands, crashing her lips against hers without any regard for the audience.

“You don’t know how terrified I was last night,” she murmured against her lips, pressing her forehead against hers. “How are you feeling? Can you even hear me right now?”

“I’m fine, ‘Sami. Maybe I should get hurt more often if that’s the welcome I get when I enter the room.” The judgmental look she received told her otherwise, but she tried to erase it with her best winning grin. “Too soon for a joke like that?”

“You’re lucky I love you.” She shook her head, but couldn’t stay mad at her. Too overcome with her emotions, she took her lips in hers again, much gentler this time.

“I love you too. Like I said yesterday, I’m in it for the long haul. If you want to get rid of me, you’ll have to get a restraining order against me and a security team to guard you at all times. I’ll sneak into your work office if I have to to convince you to be with me.”

Asami couldn’t stifle a smile as she imagined that scene. She reached up to caress her cheek. “Don’t worry, I don’t intend to ever get rid of you. You’re stuck with me too.”

Over breakfast, Korra’s health was the initial topic of discussion before shifting to what was going on in Tenzin’s life and continuous training of the airbenders. Korra was the one who steered the conversation that way, silently telling them she didn’t want to discuss what happened the previous night right away.

Pema blocked the entrance to the kitchen to the couple, ordering them to get some fresh air in a motherly tone.

“Do you have to go into work?” Korra asked as they walked outside.

“I made some calls this morning while you were asleep. Work will be okay for a few hours. I should go in for a little bit later, but right now, I’m making sure you’re okay. What happened down there?”

Korra paused midway down the pair of steps they were descending. She removed her hand from Asami and pulled at her hair. “I never saw anyone so I’m thinking those waterbenders were down there, bent a remote underwater bomb towards me and set it off and someone struck me upside the back of my head beforehand. If we had all went down there, we’d all be injured.” While Kya was healing her, that’s all she thought about and guilt crept in.

“But we aren’t. _You_ are though. You need to take it easy for the day. How about a game of Pai Sho?”

Getting her ass kicked by her girlfriend at Pai Sho and forgetting about the case for a few hours was just what Korra needed.

She’d be ready and fresh for a new day to solve this case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, not much happened in this chapter 🤷♀️ All I'm going to say is that more exciting stuff is on the way.
> 
> Tumblr: mysky27


	10. Stealth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: February 11, 2021 12:32PM EST

_“Like a wolf, she lived by instinct.”_

_― Nikki Rowe_

* * *

After the first day, Korra was back on her feet and almost back to her normal self, hearing and all. Unless she twisted sharply or directly touched the wound, it was like it wasn’t even there. It looked worse than it felt, but then again, her pain tolerance was high.

Feeling better led to the current situation of her, her friends, and the Beifong sisters pouring over a map in the chief’s office. They knew where they were, but the problem was how were they going to get in without anyone potentially getting seriously injured or ambushed. Officers were stationed outside of the office and outside the premise, watching for anyone who wasn’t authorized and familiar.

Suggestion after suggestion left everyone’s lips, but each one got shot down for one reason or another. They were sitting turtle ducks as the criminals roamed free unspotted and undetected. Asami was active in the conversation, but couldn’t help but let her mind wander about the possibilities. What if these criminals used the HSV plans, did some tinkering, and added some sort of submarine component to it? What if those boats they took off in from Air Temple Island were them?

No, making a car and boat in one vehicle was one thing, but a car, boat, submarine combination was outrageous. Despite their best efforts, the police lost sight of the waterbenders and never found them. Had they gone to the underwater hideout? _How_ did they access it? There had to be an entrance somewhere. They knew that, but the entrance was too easy and the enemy was likely prepared if they did that.

The United Republic was quiet. Too quiet. Republic City was no exception, but since it was the capital, it was a beacon showing their distress to the rest of the world.

Beifong and Mako were still skeptical of Hisakata, but both Asami and Korra defended him. He’d practically isolated himself in his temporary room on the island since he arrived. Only when Meelo drug him out to join the airbenders during training did he interact with anyone else besides Team Avatar. He seemed to be intimidated by the older boy. Team Avatar wasn’t always on the island, but someone always had their eyes on him, watching for any suspicious behavior.

“One option is to tunnel our own way to their hideout. We use the underground tunnels here and branch off of them. That way, no one will be able to track us. We have a front, middle, and final wave. If they find us, they won’t get all of us.”

“You can throw half your force down there, me, Su, Bo, and yourself, but it’ll be too slow,” Korra argued, slapping her hands on the table for emphasis.

“Slow may be the way to outsmart them, Avatar.” To prove her point, she walked around her desk and pulled Korra’s shirt up to reveal the mostly healed wound. “Last time we acted quickly you got knocked out and hurt. The water isn’t an option no matter how good of a bender you are.”

Korra grumbled to herself, slumping in her chair with her arms across her chair. Asami sat beside her and reached over to squeeze her thigh. The engineer was more restrained in revealing her emotions. When she confronted whoever’d physically and emotionally hurt the citizens of the United Republic, herself, and her girlfriend, that’s when she was going to unrelease her full power.

* * *

Back in the comforts of their home, Asami fussed over Korra as she laid back on their bed with her tank top bunched up and healed herself. Soft music played in the background from the radio.

“Baby, relax. I’m fine,” Korra chuckled as her girlfriend observed her every move with the glowing water over herself. Feeling a lot better, she bent the water back into a bowl. “I’ve told you countless times it looks worse than it feels now.”

“I’ve seen you how many times over the years with battle wounds?” Asami cupped her cheek and gazed into the bright cerulean eyes that have had too many close encounters with death than she’d like and knew many more were inevitable. “Hisakata asked me a question that I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer the other night when you were resting.”

“What was it?” Curiosity piqued her mind. He hadn’t been very talkative to anyone, but when they were on the island, he did seem to favor Asami.

“We were talking, and I was talking about us, about how much we both love each other. He then asked how I knew we’d both be willing to lay our lives on the line for each other.”

Korra’s eyebrows rose, thinking that was a strange question from a seven-year-old. “What was your response?”

Asami straddled Korra’s hips, careful not to bump her knee against the healing area. A pale hand reached up and affectionately caressed the dark skin, getting lost in the deep depths of blue eyes she loved and would love until the end of time. “We can be ourselves with each other. No titles. No criticisms. No judgements. No walls. No limitations. We can be at our highest point or our lowest point, but no matter what, we’ll have each other’s back.”

Korra reached up and covered the pale hand on her skin, kissing her palm. Staring into the tender green eyes of Asami, everything else around them disappeared, leaving only the two of them in their little bubble. “I love you, Asami. I know it’s been a few tough weeks for us, but you’re right. There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side right now fussing over me or providing me with unlimited blubbered seal jerky.”

Asami rolled her eyes playfully, but couldn’t prevent the smile on her lips and lightly pushing against the Avatar’s chest. “Really? You had to throw that last part in an otherwise beautiful sentiment?”

“You know what you signed up for when you asked me to live with you full-time, ‘Sami.” She flashed that signature crooked grin and a flirty look.

“Yeah, I did,” she laughed, wrapping her arms around Korra and pulling her against her. “A polar bear dog and a woman who is tough as nails to the whole world, but is putty in my arms.”

“I do not become putty in your arms! It’s the other way around. _You_ melt in-“ She was cut off by said arms pulling her even closer and drawing her lips in for a hot, passionate kiss. Teeth clashed; tongues danced. With very little effort, Asami pinned Korra down on the mattress with her arms above her head, trapped by Asami’s hands. Knowing she lost the argument, she surrendered to her girlfriend’s power.

The engineer began inching her girlfriend’s tank top to reveal her warm, dark skin as the music broadcast was interrupted abruptly, snapping them both to reality, but not stopping their makeout session.

_“We interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast with breaking news. A miracle has blessed the United Republic, folks! Former President Raiko has located several of the missing citizens. He’s being hailed a hero by all, but for others, it’s bringing into question the competence of the police, Avatar Korra, and President Moon. Raiko has gone above and beyond to continue to serve Republic City. With his assistance, the United Republic can pray that affected families and friends will be reunited.”_

Breaking news transformed back into a soft melody. The two women tore their lips apart and put some space between their bodies as the announcement rung in their ears. Asami stared at Korra. Korra stared at Asami. Neither said anything as they digested the information, but Korra’s eyes soon narrowed, suspicious and fooled.

“That bastard!” Korra yelled so loud that it rattled in the otherwise quiet mansion. She clenched her hands that were still above her head. “Raiko knows something! We should’ve confronted him last month when he made that first statement.”

“Beifong?” Asami was already scrambling to get dressed appropriately and grabbing her stuff.

“No.” Asami froze in place, not expecting a simple denial. Anger ran through Korra’s veins, but she was moving leisurely. So far, Korra had only bothered to sit up and finger her chin in thought on the bed. A plan was formulating in her brain. “No Beifong. No Mako. No Bolin. No Opal. They’ll all turn my plan down. We’re doing this ourselves.”

“Korra, I love you, but breaking into a former official’s house is a serious crime that I would prefer not to add to our list of crimes.”

“Only if you get caught. Raiko’s gone outside the law in some form, I know it, so why can’t we? I have a plan.”

* * *

The little Water Tribe boy walked along the dark streets, looking around nervously. He wasn’t very familiar with the nicer streets of Republic City. He clutched the black coat against his body in one hand and in the other, fisted the strap of his new water skin.

“I still don’t think this is a good idea,” Asami muttered, following behind him with Korra as two shadows in the dark.

“He’s going to be fine. He’s just going to distract Raiko and his wife for a little bit while we sneak in through the second floor and investigate a little. He can take care of himself, and as far as we know as well as his word, he’s never met, interacted, or seen Raiko before.” The plan wasn’t full proof, but Korra had a strong feeling that he’d let Hisakata into his home to promote a good image. If that failed, they’d have to wait until they fell asleep.

In the distance, Hisakata knocked on Raiko’s door. Raiko stood there and looked down at the little boy, noticing how dirty and disheveled he was. The water skin was out of sight. Words were exchanged before Raiko guided the little boy into his house with a hand on his shoulder and closed the door.

After a few moments, Korra lifted them up onto the roof and padded their landing with airbending. She peeked inside a window to find it vacant. Metbalbending opened the window easily and discreetly, and both women slipped inside undetected. Korra began snooping while Asami peeked out the door to find none of the lights on upstairs. Raiko and Hisakata’s conversation could be heard from downstairs and Buttercup was nowhere in sight.

Room after room upstairs, there was nothing. Every nook and cranny were investigated by both women. Time was dwindling. The last room was some sort of lavish guest bedroom.

On her hands and knees, Korra searched underneath the bed to find it empty. Asami’s feet on the other side of the bed were clear as day in the dark room. Moving to get up, she cracked her head hard against the underside of the bedframe. Grabbing the back of her head, she hissed and clenched her teeth.

“What was that rattle?”

“Nothing. I bumped my head against the bedframe,” she gritted out, leaning over the side of the bed on her knees.

“No, not that. It sounded like something in a box. Kind of reminds me of when something’s lose in a Satomobile or an airship.”

A few seconds passed before realization dawned on her. Korra pushed the mattress off the bedframe to find a long, flat metal box with a lock resting on the slates. Shaking the box confirmed what Asami thought she’d heard. A quick flick of her wrist broke the lock. Asami joined Korra on the other side of the box just as she opened the box that revealed everything they needed to know.

Concealed inside the box with a crappy lock that wasn’t even platinum sat a knife. A knife that was very similar, if not identical, to the knife found in Asami’s desk the previous month. Perhaps they were dual knives that he had special ordered from the Fire Nation.

There was no explanation for any coincidences here. The knife wasn’t a mass produced one anyone could purchase from the market and certainly not a pocket knife for self-defense on the streets for a nonbender.

It was time to have a little talk with the former president.

They tip toed to the staircase and descended the steps. Asami nearly fell down the stairs when Korra stuck her arm out with no warning, bringing a finger to her lips. If Hisakata was good at manipulation, Raiko may spill incriminating information without realizing he was being watched.

“Hisakata, believe me, I am doing everything in my power to locate the missing citizens. President Moon and Avatar Korra are running Republic City into the ground. President Moon has no concern for them at all. Avatar Korra is distracted with her _girlfriend_. Do you know how much destruction Avatar Korra has brought to Republic City since she stepped foot here? She even had a hand in convincing her to run for president.” Asami had to hold Korra back from barging in there and smashing his head into the ground. “Pfft…a woman with no political experience, a former assistant to an impulsive businessman who’s got off on a technicality and not rotting in a cell.”

“Can you find my sister?”

“Listen, son. You seem like a smart kid. There are a lot of missing people right now. You need to face your reality. The priority now is finding the missing individuals whose families are contributing members of society. You’re nothing but a street urchin. If your sister happens to be in a dark, dirty cave like the others I found all huddled up together then that will be great for you. However, I am not dedicating the full force of my resources to find street urchins who hold no value for Republic City.”

That was the final straw for both women. They didn’t conjure the scene that fell around the corner even though they’d heard a crash.

The former First Lady was cowering in her chair, gasping at the sight of her husband cringing in the adjacent seat with the tip of an ice spear digging into his throat. Tea cups and plates were scattered on the coffee table in front of them with Hisakata standing on the table. Rage possessed his eyes, darkening them to a stormy blue.

Korra immediately rushed over and pulled him off the table by the back of his collar causing water to splash on Raiko’s lap. Planting him safely on the ground, Korra bent over and got in his face in a discipling manner, waving a finger at him.

“No! This ain’t the streets. You don’t threaten people with ice spears!” Turning to take in Raiko, he was breathing heavily and attempting to straighten himself out. “No matter how corrupt they are.”

“Avatar Korra, Ms. Sato, what is the meaning of this?” he demanded, standing up after catching his breath. Korra forcefully shoved him back down and threw Buttercup a menacing look that told her to keep her lips shut and not move.

“Raiko, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Asami casually walked up and placed her hands on Hisakata’s shoulders to calm him down. They stood off to the side behind Korra, but still in Raiko’s sightlines. “Believe me, the hard way will not be pleasant. Since you’ve insulted my girlfriend several times and told this young man and his sister are worthless, I’m going to let my girlfriend have the first shot.” The words were meant to intimidate Raiko, but Asami hadn’t noticed the longing look in the boy’s face when she mentioned him.

“You’ve broken into my house, sent this street urchin to distract me, and now you’ve cornered my wife and me in our dining room. You have no cause,” he sneered, trying to appear as big as he could in his submissive position.

“I don’t have cause?” Korra caged him in with her arms. Leaning down to within inches of his face, she grabbed his chin. “Hmm…so a few days after I almost get blown up and drown in Mo Ce Sea you just _happen_ to find several of the missing citizens by yourself when I have been assisting the police for nearly two months. You’re not the president anymore. You certainly don’t have the resources or the brains to launch a decent enough plan to realistically locate missing individuals.”

“Do you _really_ know those closest to you, Avatar Korra? We’ve interacted how many times over the years yet you barely know me. While you’ve been meandering around Republic City with your precious _girlfriend_ , I’ve been using my time to give back to society with my new found free time.”

“Shut. Your. Mouth,” she growled, increasing the pressure on his chin. “You know something. You’re going to talk or there’s going to be hell to pay.”

“You have nothing to bargain with,” he laughed through the vice grip on his chin. “Chief Beifong will be more than happy to hear about this little interaction. Throwing the Avatar in jail once again will bring her great pleasure. Leave willfully and your dame doesn’t have to be mentioned.”

It took great strength to ignore that last comment. “You’re right. I don’t have anything to bargain with.” She feigned defeat, releasing his chin and taking a step back from him. The Avatar wasn’t known to be a great actor, but when Raiko smirked and grew more confident, she saw her opening. “Because I already have the evidence that Beifong will be more than happy to use against you.”

That simple statement wiped the smirk off Raiko’s face. “My hands are clean, Avatar.”

“Oh, are they now?” In a split second, Korra revealed the knife from her back pocket and waved it in front of his eyes. “This looks exactly like the knife Beifong found in Ms. Sato’s desk last month. Found right under your roof in a locked box, which by the way, pathetic job at hiding it. You’re really not the sharpest tool in the workshop.”

“Your eyes are deceiving you, Avatar Korra. That is simply a collector’s item I acquired from the Earth Kingdom. Built by one the finest craftsmen in Ba Sing Se.”

“Wrong move, Raiko.” The cool metal of the knife slid along Raiko’s cheeks and neck, eventually taking up residence against his jugular. “I’ll be the first to admit to not knowing Ba Sing Se that well, but the one thing I know is that all craftmanship is clearly labeled ‘Made in Ba Sing Se’. I have healing abilities, but if I dug this knife far enough into your skin, there’d be nothing I could do. Red, hot, burning blood would trickle down your neck until you bled out. Are you _sure_ you don’t want to talk?”

The former president’s eyes frantically jumped between all the pairs of eyes focused on him as sweat began collecting on his brow. There was no way Avatar Korra would really slice him open, right? The sight of his trembling, terrified wife made him swallow his pride. “Alright! I’ll talk!” he shouted through gritted teeth.

Korra smirked in triumph. She removed the knife from his skin, but rested it on the arm of the chair, daring him to deceive her. She continued to cage him in, but felt nice enough to give him a little breathing room. She wasn’t a monster after all. “The floor is all yours, Raiko. Who is it? Where are they?”

He shut his eyes and snarled at the Avatar before answering. “It’s Tokuga. He’s in an underwater hideout on a sliver of an island in Mo Ce Sea. The entrance is accessible with earthbending and hidden by the surface of the ocean. Very easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.”

“Fuck!” The large dark mass flashed through Korra’s mind. That’s must’ve been what she saw when she was half disoriented. She shoved her face in his again and rocked his chair. “Are you kidding me? He tried poisoning citizens of Republic City and now you’re helping him? How do you fit into all of this?”

“He needed someone who knew the United Republic inside and out. Connections. He’s a master of stealth already, but with my information, he and his friends are shadows. He’d rerelease some of the victims in my custody. I’d tell everyone how I searched low and high for them, becoming a hero in Republic City’s eyes. President Moon, the police, and _you_ would be put to shame. The citizens would regret removing me from office.”

He didn’t look remorseful at all as the words left his mouth. He was only ever concerned with himself. It didn’t matter if anyone else got hurt. His true intentions with his actions and his words to the public were two different stories, the evil hidden in the dark and shadows.

“That’s low. Even for you.” She shook her head in condemnation. They had their differences over the years, but conspiring with a criminal, instilling fear and phony hope in the citizens crossed the line. “What about the rest of the victims?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask, and I never saw them. Heard him talking about shipping them off to some iron mine or farm field for money though. He didn’t trust me enough to give me inner circle details.” He had the audacity to look smug with that remark.

Korra continued to grill Raiko for details about what he knew, but he was beginning to resist. Asami leaned down to Hisakata’s ear and told him to call Lin and tell her and Su to come immediately. He nodded and scurried off to find a phone.

It was now her turn.

“Raiko, we can be very reasonable women,” she began, walking up and placing her left hand on Korra’s shoulder. Raiko was putting on a strong front, but she saw right through him for what he was really feeling: fear. “We can also be ruthless, domineering, fierce women. If you haven’t already guessed, Avatar Korra and her _posse,_ as you’ve called us, are going to end this. We once again will restore balance to the United Republic no thanks to you.” Asami lowered her electric glove to his shoulder, demonstrating the potential shock he could get before it made contact. “Let’s begin. Why did they bomb the police station?”

“I wasn’t privy to sensitive details.” He paused for a moment, an evil smirk forming on his lips and a dark, devious look in his eyes. “May I say that your father is rubbing off on you right now, Ms. Sato? Exerting that glove against me while I’m helpless? Having your _girlfriend_ staring daggers at me? Sending that street urchin to go do your bidding while you put on this front of being a strong, independent woman? Do you really believe you’re any better than him?”

“ _Don’t_ bring my father into this,” she hissed, increasing her pressure on his shoulder but not shocking him yet. She threw out her free arm to stop Korra from interfering though her snarls could be heard.

“Oh, did I hit a nerve?” he chuckled lowly, dipping his head down. “You’re all foolish! Did you really believe he’d just vanish when you and your friends failed to capture him? Go live in a little Earth Kingdom village and live the rest of his life peacefully?”

Korra glared at Raiko, motioning that she’d be watching him as she guided Asami out to the base of the stairs. Hisakata sat there waiting on the stairs, Asami protected by the wall and darkness, and Korra in the light, keeping one eye on Raiko and Buttercup.

“The Beifongs will be here soon,” he muttered quietly. He made no effort to stand up, wanting to not get in the way of them, but the two women nodded.

“What the hell is wrong with that guy?” If Korra’s eyes had the ability to firebend, Raiko would’ve been a dead man with the glare aimed at the back of his head. “All this time we’ve been fighting old enemies!”

“But we’ve got the upper hand now. Raiko sold him out. We know how to get in. We’ve dealt with him before, and this time, we’re going to put him away for good,” she encouraged, squeezing her shoulders. Her own eyes shut, and she released a loud exhale towards the ground, thinking about Raiko’s comparison.

Korra saw the shift in her demeanor and immediately knew why. She brought her hands up to her shoulders and covered Asami’s. “He had absolutely no right comparing you to that side of your father.”

As much as she despised him for saying that about her, that wasn’t the only thing irritating her. “It’s not just that. When he said that, the look in his eyes told me there was something he wasn’t telling us, and it doesn’t sit well with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooo, things are heating up, and Raiko really is a piece of shit.
> 
> Fun fact: Korra was originally suppose to learn seismic sense from Lin and Su in this chapter 'til that got scrapped. 
> 
> Tumblr: mysky27


	11. Reveal Your Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: February 18, 2021 12:25PM EST
> 
> 🛑Warning: blood and violence🛑

_“How well we survive this time of creative destruction, it really is, depends on each of us, on each of us fighting our individual battles of integrity, for integrity.”_

_― Maria Ressa_

* * *

“I could arrest you right now for breaking and entering without a warrant,” Beifong grunted when Korra opened the door. She, Su, and several officers stood on the doorstep of Raiko’s home. The chief was disgruntled having received a call from a seven-year-old who said the Avatar and her girlfriend were interrogating Raiko in his home that they snuck into.

“You can yell at me later, Lin. We’ve got information and evidence,” Korra explained, pulling the knife out. Lin’s eyebrows shot up, immediately recognizing it.

“I’ll be damned. But don’t get any funny ideas to going behind my back again, Avatar!”

Korra and Asami filled the others in on what Raiko already revealed. Given the circumstances, Beifong ordered some of her officers to check on Zhu Li and make sure she was protected against any of Tokuga’s followers lurking in the shadows.

That left the Beifong sisters, Korra, Asami, three officers, and Hisakata. Two officers were guarding the premises while the chief took the lead in leading another interrogation against Raiko while another watched Buttercup in a separate room. Su, Korra, and Asami waited patiently in the living room. Beifong believed if it was just her with Raiko, he’d be more cooperative. She also didn’t want the Avatar interfering with her questioning.

As the adults murmured among themselves about the next course of action, Hisakata was studying a small bookshelf. A photo of the man he threatened and his wife was the focal point. Knicks knacks, relics, and trinkets occupied the other shelves. It appeared each shelf was dedicated to each nation except the Air Nation given it was still rebuilding. A quick scan of the various objects on each shelf instead sent him scampering over to Asami and tugging at her jacket frantically.

“Whistle! He has a whistle!” he chanted, pointing over to the bookshelf.

“What do you mean?” Asami asked confused, turning to look at the bookshelf.

“He has a bison whistle! Didn’t the tall, bald man say that his bison whistle was stolen and a few of those airsuits?” The only reason he knew what a bison whistle looked like was because Meelo had shown him a drawing that he’d sketched up and showed him various versions of other ones the airbenders had.

“Show me,” Korra ordered, walking over to the bookshelf. Hisakata drug Asami over while Su trailed behind as he pointed to it among the objects. “Son of a bitch!”

The evidence was right there. Tenzin’s bison whistle stood proudly among the Water Tribe items. It blended in with the crowd about halfway back on the shelf, but with a more thorough look, easily identifiable.

Too enraged, Korra stormed into the room where Beifong was interrogating Raiko.

“Korra, I told you-“

“He has Tenzin’s bison whistle!” She marched over and clutched his chin once again, staring daggers into his beady eyes. “What’s your game? Were you so vindictive of losing the election that you’ve terrorized this whole nation?”

“I told you my game, Avatar Korra,” he laughed lowly. “Nothing ever appears as it seems, does it? You’ve said so yourself, you created that spirit portal, but you can’t find a missing person. You can’t assist the police in the simplest of tasks despite all the power you wield. You can’t drive even with Asami Sato at your disposal. You’re just a deviant in all aspects of your profession and lifestyle.”

Just barely, Lin caught Korra’s elbow to prevent a fist from greeting Raiko’s face. Korra shouted profanities at him as Lin forcefully shoved her out of the room. Her profanities weren’t met with silence though. He manically laughed at them like he was slowly going insane.

“Go back to Air Temple Island. I don’t want you two alone tonight. Round up Mako and Bolin if you want to fill them in. Su and I will be there when we have more information. We’re going to confront Tokuga, but you’re interfering with Raiko too much. Leave or else I’ll get my officers to throw you out.”

Biting her lip, Korra complied. She wished Lin would’ve let her have one punch at him. He didn’t deserve common courtesy anymore.

Korra informed Su and Asami of the change and plans and bid Su farewell. Asami had parked the car far away to not arouse suspicions so they had a bit of a walk. Korra was busy releasing all her pent-up anger over Raiko and Tokuga. When she finally took a breath, Hisakata jumped in with a new topic.

“So, you can threaten people with knives, but I can’t threaten them with ice spears? That makes you a bit of a hypocrite.”

Korra stopped walking and looked down at the boy. “I’m an adult and the Avatar. You’re a seven-year-old kid who hasn’t quite mastered the technique of ice spears and the right timing for intimidation like that.”

He crossed his arms and pouted. “I could’ve handled him.”

“Reminds me of someone else I know.” Asami tried to muffle her laugh with her hand, but couldn’t. Korra’s eyes widen before a dirty look took over. She needed her girlfriend’s support right now to help her win this argument. “Baby, I can think of a few instances where your temper got the best of you. Tonight included! You said so yourself that your parents and Katara would have stories to tell me when you were his age.”

“You’re not helping,” she whined, returning her attention back to Hisakata. “Look, doing that type of stuff can get you in serious trouble. We got kicked out by Beifong because I almost punched Raiko in his smug face. You need to think before you do that kind of stuff.” She ruffled his hair a bit with a small grin, but was quickly smacked away. “Now come on. You did your job tonight so I’ll get you some blubbered seal jerky.”

“What’s blubbered seal jerky?” he asked with a tilt of his head as he attempted to smooth his hair down.

“You’re kidding, right?” The blank stare and shaking of his head caused her eyes to widen again. This time aghast over this crime. “You can’t have Water Tribe blood and _not_ have had jerky before! I know just the place for us to pick some up. Asami doesn’t care for it so more for us.”

It shouldn’t have made Asami’s heart race, but watching the little boy and Korra interact over something as simple as authentic cuisine from their native land was heartwarming considering he bit her and spit in her eye only days ago. It was also a nice perk she wouldn’t have to eat blubbered seal jerky.

* * *

Sun barely cracked the horizon. Hues of yellow and orange cast themselves over airbenders mediating to begin their day. Soft melodies of birds, insects, and the breeze met everyone’s ears. Lemur chirps and bison grunts began once they were fed. Nothing was out of the ordinary on Air Temple Island besides the intense meeting inside.

The sun continued to rise in the sky as several hours passed. Bickering between several stubborn and hothead individuals overpowered the tranquil environment that Air Temple Island was supposed to be.

To say Raiko was difficult once Korra left was an understatement. With her gone, it seemed he decided to zip his mouth shut and throw away the key. Even the presence of two Beifongs standing over him did nothing to break him. The evidence was all in front of him.

After some further investigation, another knife had been found intermingling with other utensils in the kitchen. It was no kitchen utensil, but a weapon similar to the one found upstairs. Two wingsuits had also been found in the coat closet. Two combat knives, two wingsuits, and Tenzin’s bison whistle. The evidence was stacked against him.

What had happened to the former president? For now, Beifong had them both on house arrest and guarded. The press was going to have a field day when everything was released.

Finally, they came to an agreement on how to proceed. They’d be apprehended in two waves in two separate airships. The first would consist of Team Avatar, Lin, and three officers. The second wave would consist of Su, Opal, and a dozen of Beifong’s officers and Zaofu’s guards. Tenzin and the rest of the airbenders would be on standby in case anything went wrong or Tokuga would try something in Republic City while they were gone in addition to Republic City’s regular force.

They were going to end this.

Last time they’d outsmarted Tokuga, but he escaped. They weren’t going to make the same mistake again. His partner had sold him out, and they had the edge.

Lin, Su, and Korra were briefing the officers and guards on the plan. Asami had stepped away from the others unnoticed, needing some fresh air. A police and a Zaofu airship hummed in the distance. A strong gust of wind brushed against her, sending a shiver through her body. Unlike the chilling shiver she felt weeks ago, this one was solely based on temperature and not of unease.

Her trademark Future Industries jacket protected her from the elements, but the wind pierced it. She crossed her arms and rubbed her shoulders in an effort to warm up. She wasn’t one to get cold easily, but it seemed the sea breeze was stronger and colder than usual. Perhaps it was just her body’s reaction to all the emotions churning in her mind.

She had no need for it, but her electric glove covered her right hand. Removing it from her shoulder, she held it out in front of her, palm up. For the slightest of moments, she flicked the electric on and gazed upon the flickering electricity the glove wielded just as she did when her father tried to persuade her to join him years ago.

_“Join me, Asami.”_

_“May I say that your father is rubbing off on you right now, Ms. Sato?”_

He was right. Her father had rubbed off on her. She was a strategist, revolutionary engineer, cunning businesswoman, and a Sato. However, they diverged on how they used their skills and knowledge in the world. She wasn’t putting on a façade for her own diabolical agenda. Her life’s mission was to improve the greater good of society, not intentionally pit one fraction of society against one another.

“You’re coming back, right?” a meek voice from behind her asked, tugging on her jacket.

She gave him a warm smile. His blue eyes were so unsure of everything. “Yes, hopefully in a few hours. We’re going to bring the bad guys down, and soon, you’re going to be reunited with Midori.”

“Promise?” He held out a little hand. Asami didn’t pick up on it, but it was as much directed at her and her friends as much as it was that they’d returned with Midori.

She knelt down on the payment to become equal with him. Only then did Asami realize how small he actually was in the outdoors and light. She was tall, but he seemed ridiculously small for his age in both height and weight.

“We all promise.” Despite her reassurance and the acceptance of his little hand, the tiny smile on his lips didn’t meet his eyes. To cheer him up and give him extra reassurance, she slipped off her jacket and draped it over his small shoulders, leaving her in a white shirt. “This is my favorite jacket. Consider it collateral. A one for one trade. You hold on to it until we come back with Midori, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.” Asami’s eyes widen at the term.

“Please, don’t call me that. Just call me Asami.”

When they returned inside, Hisakata ran off somewhere while Asami rejoined her friends. Everyone had finally been filled in thoroughly, but until they got there and the Beifongs used their seismic sense, they weren’t clear what they were going to encounter below Mo Ce Sea.

Walking to the airships, Korra noticed Asami jacketless. She always seemed to have some sort of jacket on whether it was her Future Industries jacket or a professional business jacket.

“Did your beauty finally overheat your body so much that it forced you to forgo any jacket? I’m not used to seeing you without one when you’re not in the workshop or the bedroom.”

Asami giggled. “Sweetie, that was a terrible line. I gave it to Hisakata as collateral. He seemed to believe we were leaving and never returning with Midori.”

Korra grabbed Asami’s hand and stopped them. “Wait, so a seven-year-old gets your jacket, but not me?”

Asami shook her head, thinking how cute she was being. “You’re jealous a child has my jacket right now?”

“Well, I never get to have your jacket,” she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away from Asami, pouting.

“Because you’re from the South and never get cold,” Asami argued playfully. She planted a kiss on the corner of Korra’s lips to turn her around. “When we return, you can have my jacket for a week. Actually, we can swap outfits for the week. You get my jacket; I get your parka.”

“Deal!”

“Come on, let’s go kick some ass then so the week can start quicker.”

* * *

Battle and confrontation were familiar to everyone. It didn’t matter how much experience one had, the quiet before the storm was always unbearable. The need to do something instead of just sitting around and waiting stimulated anxiousness. There was too much time to think about all the possibilities and get bogged down by it instead of just making a decision sometimes. Sometimes, a decision had to be made swiftly to come away with victory and deal with the consequences later.

They said life never was easy.

The storm outside supported that. When their airships were leaving, the storm rolled in faster than Beifong could say ‘flameo’. Nowhere in the forecast did anyone mention pouring rain, crackling thunder, or streaky lightning racing across the sky. The appearance of the storm was all superficial, more bark than bite. But it deepened the mood that fell upon everyone as the airship flew closer and closer to the impending area.

Chief Beifong’s airship arrived first, and Su’s was several miles behind according to plan. The captain brought the airship down as close as possible that was still safe with the rocking waves. Through the rain and darkness, Korra couldn’t see the underwater island surface, but remembered it did seem to almost break the surface.

Everyone refused to allow the Avatar to go below by herself this time, but because of the sheer volume of people this time and the fact the second wave did not have a waterbender, Korra, Bolin, and Lin were going under and closing off the entrance and bending the water out of it.

The three of them jumped in, surrounding by a safe bubble. When they planted their feet on the surface, Beifong retracted her boots’ bottoms, sensing the vibrations below.

“Hidden entrance in the center with a chamber below. Lots of tunnels, but I see a large central space a few miles away,” Beifong informed, studying the surface of the submerged island. “Take your positions.”

They made quick work of bending the perimeter of the island up enough above surface to close it off from the rest of the sea. That was the cue for the airship to fly back up and get out of the way. After a few minutes, Korra bent all the water out of the space with the aid of the Avatar State, leaving it relatively dry though some water splashed over the sides. The airship docked by the side of the barricades, releasing a ladder for the others to safely join them.

Beifong pulled back the earth to reveal a large chamber that didn’t seem to lead anywhere, but she sensed the branching tunnels. She radioed Su that everyone was going accordingly so far and reminded her to stay safe and be cautious.

They funneled down the metal ladder that led them about two dozen feet down. There were four different tunnels leading to different areas and depths of this underwater hideout. Beifong opened up the opening for the tunnel that led to the large central room she mentioned earlier, but didn’t sense anyone yet.

“You’re saying it’s abandoned?” Korra questioned as they walked into the tunnel.

“No, I’m saying, I don’t see anyone yet. There is a limit to my range and there are loopholes to it. If you ever bothered to learn seismic sense, you’d know that.”

“You never offered to teach me!”

The tunnel they were in was rough compared to the opening chamber. Badger moles could’ve carved it out prettier. Sketchy was the single word to describe it. If it wasn’t for Mako and Korra’s flames, it’d be nearly pitch black. The only source of light besides fire was jennamite hanging on the wall every few hundred feet. A slow drip from a leak in the tunnel seemed to echoed for miles through all the tunnels, taunting them.

They cautiously prowled on in the direction that Lin felt the central room. Nearly half an hour passed, but they were nearly there. Even from afar, they could see a little alcove with bright jennamite.

A honing signal. A spider moth drawn to a flame.

Beifong found it odd that Su hadn’t radioed her. For sure they were within reach of each other, but she thought maybe Su was trying to be as quiet as possible since someone may have been watching them. She halted the group and retracted the bottoms again, sensing many more vibrations coming from humans this time.

Except there were two problems.

“We’re on our own.” She scanned the other seven, finding them confused at the short statement. “Su, Opal, and the others are knocked out towards the beginning of the tunnel. No one else is there so I’m assuming a similar attack as the one on Korra. They’re safe and breathing, and no one appears to be in immediate danger.” That didn’t appease Bolin who began worrying his lip. Lin was concerned about her sister too, but they’d survive.

“Are you sure? One or two of your officers could head back and tend to them,” Korra suggested, not wanting to delay any attention they needed.

“We can’t afford to lose anyone. We have a much bigger problem up ahead.” The chief gestured to the spotlight alcove. “I don’t see Tokuga. What I do see are two figures on the other end of the room and at least forty mecha suits, all occupied.”

Eight against forty-two. The numbers weren’t in their favor, but they were Team Avatar and elite metal benders and earthbenders. No one expected to come out unscathed.

Eight figures occupied the small space before the large room. It was about the size of Korra’s old room on Air Temple Island. If this wasn’t a critical mission, they could’ve viewed the luminous, green jennamite in all its glory and casting a shine on everyone. It was quite beautiful, but all a mascaraed for the dangers ahead.

Eight pairs of eyes glanced at one another until seven fell upon the chief. She gave a brief, small nod before turning to the wall and bringing it down, officially announcing their presence.

This room was different than the tunnel. It was a grandiose room with intricate carvings in the wall, jennamite mounted strategically to showcase the craftsmanship. The jennamite ended halfway up the walls which was odd and preventing them from seeing just how high the ceiling was, but what they could see was fairly high already.

Mecha suits glowed in the green light, but took no action to move or attack. On the other side of the room was a raging, magnificent, noisy waterfall display with a small, shallow pool underneath. Two figures in stone chairs admired the crystal blue ocean water, only the stone backs of the seats were visible but Beifong knew they too were occupied like the mecha suits.

The group walked through the middle of the room, vigilant for a sneak attack from the mecha suits. When they were within feet of the stone chairs, they abruptly swung around, but the occupants didn’t bother to rise to their feet.

The emblem and robes were all they needed to know who Tokuga had recruited for help.

Dai Li agents.

These two were no different with the rigid expressions on their faces. However, one had seen better days. The left side of his face was burnt and scarred. It was noticeably swelled, indicating it was relatively fresh and hadn’t received any proper medical care.

“It’s so great of you to join us, Avatar, Chief, and friends,” the non-scarred one greeted cheerfully, rising from his seat and acting like this was a reunion between lost friends rather than a confrontation. “I’m surprised it took you so long to find us. Have you finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together?”

Korra wondered what he meant by ‘pieces of the puzzle’, but didn’t have the patience to dwell on it. She stepped forward, getting into a fighting stance and prepared to hold her ground. “Where’s Tokuga?”

That same agent laughed bitterly. “Are we not good enough for you, Avatar? Tokuga will reveal himself when he is ready. I’m very surprised neither you nor any of your friends have moved to knock me or my partner out,” he goaded with a smirk. “Perhaps you’re not as predictable as we suspected you are, though you are abysmal at reading your surroundings.”

Korra retaliated with a blast of wind towards him, sending him crashing against the waterfall and gasping for breath on his hands and knees in the small pool. Two of the officers restrained the scarred Dai Li agent in their cables. He made no move to be difficult in his capture, but looked pitiful watching the scene unfold. The drenched Dai Li agent coughed out water and cackled like someone told the funniest joke in the world.

“Oh my, you have gotten me wet. Whatever will I do in this predicament?” He stood to his full height and dodged the fireball launched at his head by Korra and Mako. Beifong and the last officer wrapped him up in cables too and drug him out of the water. He remained standing a few feet away from the water and laughed some more. “You know the funny thing about takeovers? The conqueror always starts at the top. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase the parts are greater than the whole? Takeovers require precision, multifaceted calculations, people on the inside. You need a foundation for the rest of the empire to crumble. That’s where he failed last time.”

“He failed again, and you’re all going to be locked up under the supervision of Chief Beifong. Let me tell you, it ain’t a pretty sight,” Korra warned, getting antsy and ready to fight him.

“Are you sure he failed, Avatar? Success and failure are a trivial concept, are they not? Can you not succeed yet fail at the same time? If I remember the news correctly, you saved Republic City from poison gas with the help of your friends, but at the expense of letting a criminal run free.”

“He’s done for!” she growled, stepping up to him and yanking on the cables.

He hummed and looked up towards the darkness. A sly smirk formed as lowered his gaze to the Avatar’s, looking her dead in the eye. “I suppose we will find out when he is ready, but since I am feeling _generous_ today, I will inform you the Avatar State will not be allowed in your arsenal. If you are such a light-weight and require the Avatar State, those mecha suits will explode via remote detonator. And let me tell you, Avatar, Chief Beifong, _that_ will not be a pretty sight. Please, inspect them yourselves and ask if you can afford it.

All the mecha suit domes were now retracted, revealing the operators. Beifong, Mako, and Korra recognized many of them. Many of the kidnapped victims were before them in mecha suits with dazed looks. Not that Korra believed she’d need the Avatar State, she was more concerned that the operators were at risk of being blown to bits at any instance.

“You’re bluffing,” she called, putting on a strong front, but she couldn’t read him or his silent companion.

“Is that apprehension and uncertainty I see in the Avatar’s eyes?” he asked airily. “I applaud your achievements in your young life and tenure as Avatar, but who is really outsmarting the other, right now? We are fair opponents. We could have injured, killed, or blown them up long ago yet we kept them here and provided sustenance. Why you may ask?” He directed a wicked look aimed at the Avatar and Chief. “Living with the memories, the anguish, is worse than death. Do you not have experience with that feeling, Avatar?”

Before Korra or anyone else could respond, the otherwise silent, scarred Dai Li agent whistled a little tune with his head hung low. Another almost inaudible whistle filled the room from above. While everyone looked up to find a section of the darkened roof area had been lit up with a single cage of gagged, restrained hostages and those trapped in mecha suits perked up, straightening out in their seats and eyes dilating to almost completely black depths of the unknown and misunderstood.

Once the whistle ceased, the unscarred Dai Li agent, commanded, “Honored guests, please escort the intruders out of Mo Ce Sea.”

The moment the last word left his lips, the room burst into flames as half the mecha suits activated their flamethrowers. The other half charged the intruders. They scattered across the expansive room to avoid the burning flame and being crushed from impact. For the time being, it was everyone for their self. Through the chaos, it was hard to find friendly faces, but everyone was managing on their own.

Because they were occupied with the citizens they were trying to help, they couldn’t unleased the full power of their abilities. Even as some of them unleashed elements that were stronger than they probably should have released, the mecha suits kept popping back up like they weren’t just met with a boulder twice its size. Tokuga had pit those trying to save the victims against the victims themselves.

Headway was being made on the mecha suits when bolts of lightning from two sources met the roof of the space, rocking the whole room and loosening rock to fall on those below, dust settling over a pause in battle.

The whole top half of the room was now revealed with lanterns and fire, revealing some empty cages, some with explosives, and some with more gagged, blinded hostages. And on top of those cages were more individuals who reigned down and joined the battle. A few of them were more familiar victims, others were unfamiliar so likely other help Tokuga had enlisted from the triads.

Elements were flying every which way. Water. Earth. Fire. Air. How in the world had Tokuga convoluted a plan such as this since they last met? Certainly, the Dai Li and some of the more elite benders here must’ve been involved in his schemes in addition to Raiko.

But where was Tokuga?

Asami engaged with two earthbenders and a waterbender close to the waterfall display. Somewhere during the chaos, she’d lost the glove that covered her left hand, but the trademark electric glove stood strong and displaying its power against those not in mecha suits. Apparently, they didn’t get the memo that she was a master in all combat situations and lethal with just her legs and hands. Who ever said you needed bending to compete on the same level with benders?

The whooshing of a water jet zipped towards Asami who sidestepped the attack and was able to land her glove on one earthbender to render him unconscious. Another water jet zipped towards her. She dodged it easily, but another one was executed perfectly in line with her movement and in combination with rocks, sent her flying into the wall, back slamming against the wall next to the water.

On her hands and knees, seeing the dirt coating her hands, she panted. Rising to her feet, she motioned for the remaining earthbender and waterbender to come at her.

They gladly accepted the offer. 

Water and earth flew towards her. Maneuvering through the elements without a single mark this time, she jumped and twisted in the air. She grabbed a hold of the waterbender’s shirt, launching her off to the side with a loud bang amongst all the other noises of elements, forces meeting, and the waterfall.

It was almost deafening how loud it was in the space.

That left Asami and the earthbender, a large, burly man. He cracked his neck like it was only the two of them. He bent a barrage of rocks – small, medium, and large – towards Asami and other nearby battles. Asami ducked. Clearly, he was trying to take her head off. Through her evasive ducking and jumping, Asami was able to get close enough to sweep his legs out from under him and shock him.

She looked left and right, trying to find a familiar face, but despite some fallen opponents, visual acuity was still limited. Another strong show of lightning was directed at the ceiling, once again raining dust and rocks on everyone, pausing the action as the dust settled. At this point, the engineer in Asami was worried the hideout was going to collapse on everyone.

Maybe that was what this was. Lure the Avatar, the chief of police, and friends underneath the sea beneath an avalanche of rock and suffocate them by drowning.

It was only a few seconds, but a firebender stealthily approached Asami from behind, grabbed her left hand and set it ablaze. Before she could high kick him in the face, a force out of nowhere swooped in and kicked her sharply in the ribs and jabbed at the sides of her torso. She wobbled briefly then regained her composure and delivered a brutal high kick to the man who’d burn her hand, knocking him flat on his back.

Blisters and smoke rose from the inflamed skin, but there’d be time to cry about that and the intense pounding on the right side of her ribs later.

She towered over the groaning man, looking into his partially open, nearly dilatated eyes showing only a sliver of a ring of deep amber. He was middle aged with salt and pepper hair and wrinkles at the corner of his mouth and eyes. He was a hostage, but he had to be contained to protect everyone else and end this once and for all. She slammed the glove against the shoulder, shooting electrical pulses through his body until he went limp, closing his eyes.

She’d already wasted enough time. She began running towards a mecha suit that was beating the shit out of one of the officers she finally spotted, but a stabbing pain ripped through the back of her right shoulder, stopping her and bringing her to her knees in a silent scream.

Red, hot blood saturated the back of her white shirt. She ground her teeth together and reached with her burnt hand in an attempt to lessen the pain, but if anything, it worsened the pain as the skin of her back stretched and contracted.

Asami twisted around to see who had stabbed her from behind like a coward, but was met with none other than Tokuga a few feet away, blending in with the masses in a baggy black cloak with the hood up.

“It’s great to meet your acquaintance again, Ms. Sato,” he sneered as a chunk of rock smashed against the wall behind him and a fire blast went off.

“You too, Tokuga.” Asami shouted as loudly as she could that Tokuga had revealed himself, but she wasn’t sure if anyone could hear her over the rest of the noise.

They engaged in a lethal dance of offense and defense towards one another though it seemed Tokuga was more on the defensive, not making any attempts to attack her. Blood dripped down Asami’s back, her body beginning to wear down from the blood loss and physical assaults on her.

She had to continue through the pain.

Asami Sato was no damn quitter.

“We outsmarted you once, we’ll do it again!” she growled, just missing smashing his face with her one-two combo.

“You sure about that?” he countered, a knowing smirk on his lips. Finally, he made an offensive attack, drawing his hand and tentacle arm up, drawing the sleeves of his cloak back to reveal gloves. Gloves that looked awfully similar to the one Asami wielded. Asami tried to conceal the fear in her eyes, but the smirk on his face said he saw it. “This is for double crossing me, Sato.”

Seeing those gloves ignited a fire inside of Asami. He’d been watching her and Korra. He’d broken into her office. He’d kidnapped and terrorized the United Republic.

He was going to pay.

Running on pure adrenaline, she saw an opportunity to give him a shock of a lifetime against his chest. Right before it met his chest, he grabbed her gloved hand with his own gloved hand, but a shock never came from his end. Through her shocking him, a blade shot out from his glove and dug into her own glove, tearing through Asami’s glove and hand.

The blade pierced the area between her middle and ring fingers several inches past the knuckles to her palm. Simultaneously, his tentacle arm mimicked shooting a blade out and sliced along the length of her right side. To seal the deal, he jabbed at her neck, arms, and sides once again, making her nearly limp.

Asami’s scream resonated in the cavernous room this time. Pools of fresh warm blood gushed out of her body, pouring onto the floor and tainting the front of her white shirt. Through the excruciating pain and the need for air, Asami attempted to drop kick him, but the room was beginning to spin.

Her body was failing her and trying to save her at the same time.

Tokuga steadied her only to wrap his tentacle arm around her neck tightly, his glove’s complex power source front and center against the front of her neck as he turned the power on, immobilizing her. He dangled her over the small pool of water beneath the waterfall. Drops of her blood dripped off her hand and from her side, breaking the surface of the clear blue water, hints of deep red toxifying its purity.

She tried to squirm in his clutches and attempt to make contact with his body to shock him back if her glove still worked even, but the power surging through her limbs and muscles rendered them useless. Asami had been shocked before, but nothing like this. It felt like millions of volts of electricity were coursing through her, much more powerful than hers. She tried looking around the room, but everything not right in front of her was blurry.

A blurry figure approached them from several feet away. She thought it was a friend, but it was that firebender from earlier, standing and watching the scene unfold, and locking his gold eyes with Asami’s pleading green ones.

“Such a disgrace you are. Brought down by your father’s own invention that you modified once again,” Tokuga boasted, tightening his hold on her neck with his malicious smile.

All the veins and muscles in her body were being ripped apart, bursting at the seams. Tokuga’s free fingers burrowed into the open flesh on her side, widening the tear, and turning on the power on that glove too, directly electrocuting her from the inside.

She wanted to scream, but couldn’t.

She was powerless, bleeding and spasming at the mercy of him. The only control she had was with her eyes, leaving her to gaze into the frenzied eyes of Tokuga, a spiteful smirk on his lips.

_“You’re coming back, right?”_

_“I love you, Asami, my beautiful green-eyed princess.”_

_“You are the greatest thing I ever created.”_

_“I love you too. Like I said yesterday, I’m in it for the long haul.”_

The electrical currents entering her body stopped. She was dropped on her back next to the pool, feet hanging over the edge and dipping into the water. She violently convulsed as the last remnants of the electricity escaped her body. Gasping for oxygen and the scene around her becoming increasingly foggy, she looked to the side to see that firebender on top of Tokuga with a blast of fire escaping his fists.

She felt everything and nothing all at once. What she felt was hot, warm blood viciously seeping out of her sliced right hand, right side, and her right shoulder and pooling around her on the cold, hard, dirty ground.

She felt the pain, but couldn’t feel her limps.

Her entire body felt like it was on fire, shooting through her entire body. The sharpest pain localized in her side and right hand, tormenting her, but because she was a fighter, her body was fighting against its innate instincts to go under to preserve itself.

She could hear the elements crashing and colliding with one another.

She could hear shouting and the pounding of footsteps nearing her.

She could hear her name from her friends and love of her life.

But her body surrendered to its last line of defense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been reading and writing too much emotionally draining stuff lately (*cough One Look and I Ignite*). Apparently, I decided I want to cry about school and my stories at the same time.
> 
> Theories or thoughts without virtual pitch forks hurled at me? 😬 Any happy thoughts at all? 
> 
> Tumblr: mysky27


	12. Dusk Till Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: February 25, 2021 1:08PM EST
> 
> 🛑Warning: blood and some gore🛑

_But you'll never be alone_  
_I'll be with you from dusk till dawn_  
_I'll be with you from dusk till dawn_  
_Baby, I'm right here_  
_I'll hold you when things go wrong_  
_I'll be with you from dusk till dawn_  
_I'll be with you from dusk till dawn_  
_Baby, I'm right here_

_― Zayn & Sia _  
_Dusk Till Dawn_

* * *

Korra ended up back by the entrance during the chaos. She fought mecha suit after mecha suit, but they kept popping back up. It appeared that more of them were drawn to her than the benders when they arrived on the scene. So long she and everyone else avoided getting electrocuted from a mecha suit, they’d be alright.

Korra was the Avatar, but being the Avatar didn’t bring any perks with visibility of sighting her friends. Water sloshed from one bender to the next. Earth smashed against walls and defenses. Fire whished past heads, close to singeing clothes and skin.

In the middle of slamming one mecha suit against the wall, she caught sight of one of those distinguishing robes scaling the wall. He stopped briefly about halfway up, taking the scene down below in. That wouldn’t do at all.

Fists pounded the wall, rupturing the spot where the Dai Li agent hung before he could react. He lost the grip he had and fell down from the perilous height onto the elevated space that the Avatar bent up. As soon as his back met the surface, Korra bound his hands and feet to the earth.

“Stop!” she shouted at the scarred Dai Li agent, standing over him with her back turned away from the fights. He looked away. “You whistled and started this! You have the power to end this. If you go willingly, I may be able to pull some strings for you to not be in Beifong’s worse cell.”

Before he had a chance to reply, electricity shot up her spine, bringing the Avatar to her knees. Three electric bolas shot from behind had wrapped their cables around her form.

Vision blurry and mind temporarily muddled, Korra blinked several times. Before she had the mind power to snap or bend the cables away, she was imprisoned in an earth shell and tiny earth bullets struck the back of her head. Blue eyes closed, enhancing her hearing only to hear a vibrating scream echoing in the cave.

No, it couldn’t be.

“Such a shame you cannot protect the ones you love. If you cannot protect her, can you really protect the United Republic? Can you protect the world?” the other Dai Li mocked in Korra’s ear from behind. He shifted the ground beneath them so she had a perfect view of Tokuga holding Asami over the water from their platform, electrocuting her across the room. “The psychological impacts we all face are our own worst enemies, Avatar, but are only percipient if we remember and embrace them. We laid all our cards out for you, but you have failed.”

His words were met with deaf ears. Somewhere in the back of her mind was his earlier threat, but if she acted quick enough, she’d subdue them before anyone would even know if the threat was serious.

Asami was what mattered.

Blue eyes morphed into the glowing white light of the Avatar State. The cables restraining her snapped and rock erupted everywhere. Korra grabbed both Dai Li agents and crushed their bodies and heads against the closest wall, knocking them both unconscious. She didn’t have metal cables to restrain them, but sunk them deep within the floor, having only a tiny semblance of humanity to leave their noses above ground for air.

Exiting the Avatar State, Korra desperately called out Asami’s name in vain. The few benders and mecha suits that tried to get in her way faced the wrath of a vengeful, pissed off Avatar. They were met with a fury of fire blasts and rock pillars tossing them hazardously. In the back of her mind was concern that some of these people were helpless victims, but they’d survive.

Asami had all her focus.

Mako, Bolin and Beifong had reached Asami several seconds earlier than she was able to. Mako was on his knees leaning over Asami, trying to contain the bleeding and speaking to her. Bolin was pulling up earth walls for protection. Beifong was warding off those who had not been taken down yet along with one officer.

Running, she met the wild eyes of Tokuga. He had been trapped in an earth shell and gagged. Korra’s blood boiled, fire licking her fingertips to burn him more so than his face already was. She wasn’t sure how he’d gotten burn, but noticed a dejected looking man in a similar state as Tokuga. He wasn’t burnt or fighting anything though. She eyed Tokuga once more, warning him that she was coming for him.

However, there was no time to beat the living shit out of him now. Korra knew she was the only one who had any chance to help Asami.

But the sight before her was worse than she could ever dream of.

Asami Sato laid beneath her almost lifelessly. She was usually pale, but all the color of her skin faded away, contrasting sharpy with her black, silky hair and the deep red spreading across the white shirt and onto the dirty floor.

Mako had been so focused on Asami’s side that he hadn’t noticed the red spilling from her right hand, but Korra did. She ripped the glove off and nearly vomited. Her hand had been butchered down to the middle of her palm between her ring and middle fingers. Bone poked out of the jagged flesh that did nothing to contain the blood.

Red.

Everywhere.

Her abdomen. Her shoulder. Both her hands. Even her neck, but her neck was emitting smoke and charred red and angry from the direct, prolonged electrocution to her skin. Her side met a similar fate, the smell of burning skin permeated her nose.

It was a gruesome, cruel sight that no one should ever be forced to witness.

Fear bubbled inside of her. Fear that the damage would be too severe to stabilize her. Fear that one of her best friends, her lover that had been by her side for many years was going to die in her arms.

Springing into action, she bent a sphere of water from waterfall over and covered the batter woman’s body. It didn’t stop blood and grime from intermingling with the pure water and infecting its purity.

But almost as soon as the water touched her skin, Korra’s heart dropped into her stomach. She thought she was going to vomit from seeing the state of her hand, but this, _this_ , was sending her into a state of shock and horror. She flinched away and clenched her eyes shut, but did not cease her actions.

“Korra, what’s wrong?” Worried laced Mako’s tone and Bolin overhead it, jumping in and coming over to sit in solidarity with his friends, but keeping an eye out for anyone who may slip past Beifong’s radar.

On the verge of a breakdown, she choked out, “S-she’s partially chi-blocked.”

Even the greatest healers couldn’t overcome chi blocking. Some of her chi was flowing, but nowhere close to what she needed based on the surface of her wounds. Depending on how long the chi-blocking lasted, she was going to need a hospital to completely close the wounds with stitches and a thorough examination.

Korra focused all her energy into stabilizing her and trying to force as much of her chi through their paths. It was weak, clogged. The longer Asami didn’t respond, the more Korra’s body trembled. She choked down her own sobs, praying she wasn’t too late. Praying that this wasn’t her fault. She learned from the best healer in the world, but the blue glow of the water running back and forth over her body seemed to be hopeless.

Trepidation.

Guilt.

Reality.

“Come on, Asami. Baby, please.” Tears freely flowed down her cheeks now, blending in with the infected water and the blood they bathed in.

The brothers and Korra continued to watch her for any signs of active life. Asami’s strength was undeniable as she displayed numerous times, but no matter how strong she was, there was only so much electricity and so much blood loss she could withstand before crashing.

Finally, she released a frail groan and a small twitch of her body. Everyone’s eyes widened in relief, hope at the sliver of the jade eyes. She rolled her head to the right to make eye contact with Korra. A tiny smile formed on her lips as she shakily and almost painfully forced her right hand to cup her girlfriend’s cheek.

“I know you’ll take good care of me. I love you,” she rasped out weakly. Her eyes fluttered closed and her hand fell from Korra’s cheek, leaving a trail of watery blood.

“Get her to the airship and go!” Beifong shouted at them, fending off one of the remaining mecha suits.

There was no argument from them. Bolin carried her carefully as Korra continued to bend some water around her in an effort to slow the bleeding and shrink the wounds. At the very least, maybe she could ease the agony her body was fighting.

The officer escorted them to the other end of the room, fending off stray attacks on them. Mako on the other hand, tried to stay back to help Beifong.

“Mako, go!” she yelled at him as she took down one another firebender.

“Chief-“

“Detective, you will listen to my direct order! We can handle this! If Su and the others are okay, send them down here. They need you more than us.”

Not wanting to upset the chief, he saluted her and chased after his friends. For a while, things may have been weird between him, Korra, and Asami, but he still cared deeply for the both of them. If he lost one of them, he’d lose both of them. He’d take all the relentless teasing from the two of them until the end of time for Asami to make a full recovery.

* * *

Lost.

Empty.

Guilt.

The Avatar sat alone on a bench in a hallway leading into the lobby of the hospital, covering her face and offering her a sense of protection and privacy. Many stared at her. She couldn’t blame them. Dry blood and dirt coated her hands.

Blood from her girlfriend. Blood that she couldn’t stop from escaping her body. Blood that she couldn’t prevent from being shed.

“Korra?”

Removing her hands from her face, the two brothers stood before her with their own somber expressions. Bolin was sniffling, and Mako’s eyes were downcast and filled with concern. They too were covered with her blood.

No one had to say anything. They sat on the bench with her and sandwiched her between them. With their arms around her, she finally broken down on Bolin’s shoulder.

The captain and crew of the airship had managed to get them back to Republic City much faster than it should’ve taken and radioed the hospital. She was thankful for everything they did, but the entire trip back, she was focused on doing what she could to help Asami which wasn’t much. Feeling the garbled, feeble energy running through her body frightened her beyond belief the whole way back to Republic City. She spoke nonsense the entire time, trying to keep a grip on her cruel reality.

Then she, Mako, and Bolin burst through the doors, shouting what happened, that Asami needed immediate medical attention. Wet from the fleeing storm outside and covered in her blood, Korra laid Asami onto the gurney. Why did the lining have to be all white, emphasizing the blood and electrical burns on her neck?

The healers and doctors yelling out instructions and vitals became nothing more than muffled sounds like when she lost her hearing once the hospital doors separated them. Watching them wheel her seemingly lifeless body on the gurney through the doors was the worst sight she’d ever seen.

She felt the rest of the world leave her. She was the only person in a black void, standing in that very spot. One of the brothers placed a hand on her shoulder, but she immediately shoved it off and retreated to the bench that they were on.

Now she quaked, terrified of what would happen in the next few hours.

She finally understood her father’s perspective from four years ago. How he must have felt as he held her in his arms as the poison nearly took her life. Not only him, but the friends surrounding her. They all watched from the sidelines filled with concerned, powerless to do anything to help the situation. Now she was on the sidelines looking in.

“She’s going to be alright,” Bolin said strongly with a bit of snot running out of his nose. “I went to lunch with her a while back. You should’ve seen the way her face lit up when she talked about being by your side for the rest of your lives. She didn’t outright say it, but I think she expected something like this to happen sooner or later. She wouldn’t want you ridden with all this guilt I see written all over your face. We all love you, Korra. We love the both of you. We’re Team Avatar, through thick and thin.”

“We know the dangers of being with you. We all have since we met you, but has that ever stopped us? No. We won’t accept anything less, Korra. Any battle, we’re here for you. Asami’s strong and stubborn like you. She’s going to make it, you’re going to fuss over her, she’s going to yell at you to knock it off, and you’ll end up kissing to make everything all better. You both have our full support for the road ahead,” Mako added, rubbing her back soothingly.

Korra sheltered all her vulnerabilities in the safe cocoon of the brothers as the rest of the hospital continued on and passed by them.

* * *

Silence.

Seemingly harmless, but could quickly morph into deadly. Even the pitter patter of activity outside of the room seemed silent. The rest of the world was on play while in that room, everything was on pause.

Only the rise and fall of her chest was any indication that she was alive. Gauze and bandages covered her throat, shoulder, hands, and right side. All together she needed eighty-nine stiches between her side laceration, hand, and shoulder. Though the chi-blocking had worn off, the damage was still extensive and would require time.

Asami’s skin was naturally pale, a porcelain like shade, but when the doctors finally allowed Korra back, she was still nearly as white as the sheets. She’d lost a lot of blood and required a blood transfusion.

The doctors weren’t expecting her to wake until the following day at the very earliest after all the stress on her body. They reassured her, however, that with some time, she’d make a full recovery.

Korra faithfully sat by her bedside in a hard, metal chair. Usually doing nothing and not moving would irritate her, but she’d do it every day if it’d speed up her recovery.

A dark hand covered a bandaged hand. The bandages were a foreign feeling, reminding her of earlier. She didn’t like that so she grasped Asami’s bare, freezing fingers in hers. The Avatar used her bending to warm them up, hoping it provided some relief to her in her unconscious state.

“Korra,” Mako gently spoke from the doorway with Bolin. “Why don’t you go back home to change and get a shower? We’ll stay with her while you’re gone.”

Taking in her appearance, she knew it was probably the best, but she didn’t want to leave her side. Then again, letting the crusty blood stew in her clothes and on her skin wasn’t very hygienic in a hospital.

“I’ll be back soon. I love you,” she whispered tenderly in her ear and kissed her forehead.

Outside the hospital, she had two options. She could go back to the Sato mansion or to Air Temple Island. Just the thought of stepping foot in the mansion without Asami made her stomach churn and bile rise to the back of her throat. Everything there would be a constant reminder of the image of her laying bloody and battered.

Air Temple Island it was. Luckily, some of the clothes that originally migrated to Asami’s house somehow migrated back to Air Temple Island.

Bolin and Mako had called earlier to explain what had occurred. The sympathetic smiles and nods by the air acolytes and airbenders she passed meant word got around quickly, but she was thankful no one was haggling her.

She passed by Tenzin and his family in the middle of dinner. The kids scrambled from their seats, worried and asking every question in the book. As much as she didn’t want to talk, telling the kids that she was going to be alright with time seemed to lift a weight off her shoulders though one remained in her heart.

Tenzin coaxed the kids back to their seats and shot her his own reassuring smile. Pema gave her a motherly look that nearly brought her to tears. Biting her lip, she stiffly nodded then headed off to shower.

* * *

She furiously scrubbed the dry blood from her skin at a breakneck speed, turning streams of the cleansing water to hues of red and pink. She wasn’t particularly squeamish with blood, but knowing that it was Asami’s made her want to vomit food that she hadn’t consumed. She continued rubbing the damned bloody spots until her skin was raw, needing to wash it all away. She needed something to fixate on to rid herself of all her thoughts.

Through her fixation, she noticed her own bruises and scrapes from the battle. She collected enough shower water to heal her own battle wounds, leaving the superficial wound from the previous week for last. All the emotions that she’d been withholding the past hours drifted to the surface as she watched the blue glow of the water heal her body almost back to perfect health.

The glowing water was released suddenly, splashing on the shower floor and Korra’s legs, forgotten, but flowing down to the drain and out of sight.

The Avatar screamed out for the whole world to hear, needing to purge the emotions suffocating her. She slammed her forehead and hands against the front of the wall, watching the droplets slide down the drain intermixing with her salty tears pouring down her cheeks. All alone, time continued to tick away as tears masqueraded themselves as shower droplets, allowing the Avatar all the vulnerability in the world without any proof of her breakdown.

By the time she exited the shower and dressed in fresh clothes, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed. She didn’t exactly feel better despite yelling until her lungs and throat burned raw. She looked at herself in a mirror, knowing there was nothing she could do about the redness in the whites of her eyes. She looked utterly defeated, depleted, and dejected.

She intended to go right back to the hospital, but when she stepped outside, she ended up at the gazebo. They’d had a lot of good moments there. Asami bringing her tea, Kya recognizing and supporting their relationship, lazy days where they just lounged there until Tenzin politely kicked them out for a mediation session, and the day when Asami read the first words of her father’s regret.

She sat in the center of the gazebo in the lotus position facing Yue Bay. A tiny chuckle escaped her lips as she tried to mediate to ease her mind. The memory of her first attempt at mediation with Tenzin and the kids came to mind.

“May I join you for a moment?” Pema asked from the entrance of the gazebo with a gentle smile. Korra nodded, not bothering to turn around and brought her knees up to her chest as Pema sat adjacent to her. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m…okay,” she murmured against her knees, wrapping her arms around them. “I just needed a moment away from everything.”

Pema nodded, not pushing the topic. She’d heard the anguished screaming. If Korra wanted to talk, she’d be there for her. Dusk was upon them as the sun was close to dipping under the horizon, casting the last of the day’s deep orange hues over them as darkness swept in. The artificial, harrowing storm from earlier was long forgotten by the world.

It was hard to believe it had barely been a day since they confronted Raiko and discovered the face of this rebellion. Just last night, she introduced Hisakata to her beloved jerky. He absolutely adored it. He wolfed down close to half of what they’d purchased. Korra consumed the other half, but a few pieces she enticed the love of her life to eat.

Asami was such a composed woman most of the time, but she couldn’t stomach blubbered seal jerky. The way she scrunched up her face at her offerings was adorable. Then she pulled out the polar bear dog eyes and broke down the older woman to eat it. Korra cheered and applauded each time she ate a piece, embarrassing her and causing her cheeks to redden, but eventually began laughing. When all the jerky was gone, Korra gave her a long kiss, thanking her for dealing with her antics and proclaiming her love for her.

Opal and several others had been knocked out via shirshu-tranquilizing darts first. Then everyone had been knocked out by a canister filled with noxious sleeping gas. They had run into each other in the tunnels, quickly exchanging tales before Su and Opal told them to worry about Asami and rush to the hospital.

Given no one was approaching her with breaking news or requiring her attention, she assumed they were still beneath Mo Ce Sea. Not that her attention would be focused on anything besides her girlfriend laying in a hospital bed. She tried, she really tried, but she couldn’t prevent the what-if scenarios running through her mind. Silent tears began to mar her cheeks again and drip down onto her shirt. She thought she was all cried out from her outburst at the hospital and in the shower.

Pema wrapped an arm around Korra’s shoulders and pulled her into her side, allowing her to release the remnants of the emotions from the day. Korra wasn’t her child by blood, but for all intents and purposes, she was her child. No matter how old she’d get, she’d be there as a local maternal figure for both her and Asami.

“Pure elation poured from her face when I gave her a gentle nudge to officially ask you to move in with her,” Pema remembered, rubbing Korra’s side. “Love does crazy things to you like that. It makes you self-conscious when there’s no reason to doubt whatever you want to say or do when you already know the answer. I’m surprised it took over a year for her to ask you.”

“She was so nervous when she asked me that night,” she hiccupped through her tears, remembering how she babbled on. “I love her, Pema. I can’t get the image of her laying on the filthy ground bleeding, motionless, and her blood coating my hands out of my head. There was so much blood. I felt so helpless feeling some of her chi paths blocked. I was terrified I’d lose her, that her heart would stop beating and it would be all my fault.” Korra’s tears drenched the shoulder of Pema’s robes.

“Korra, nothing is your fault,” she said, gently coaxing her to lift her head from her shoulder. She reached up to wipe the tears away from the Avatar’s cheeks and smiled warmly. “Asami’s going to be fine. You’re going to be fine. Do you know why?” She shook her head. “Because you have each other. She knows you would never let anything happen to her. Neither of your lives have been nor will ever be easy yet you’ve chosen each other. Together, you can live a gratified, revolutionary life together with all success and all the failures, all the glory and all the ignominy, all the recognition and all the critiques thrown your way. You can’t truly appreciate the relationship, the love you have for someone without both ends of the spectrum. That’s true life’s journey.

“I know it’s hard right now to process everything, honey.” Pema hugged her close to her body again, allowing Korra to rest her damp face in the crook of her neck. “Tenzin and I, Mako and Bolin, we’re all here for you. Both of you. I know as soon as Asami’s back on her feet, she’ll be barking out orders to the men at Future Industries. Make Tokuga, the Dai Li, and Raiko pay for what they’ve done to the United Republic and you.”

Korra murmured her thanks to Pema in her shoulder. The airbending matriarch smiled sweetly at the Avatar and left, allowing her a moment to recompose herself in the spot that she knew held a special place in her heart.

Dusk fell as a blanket of black covered the island. It wasn’t quite pitch black yet, but only small lanterns provided any light to Korra as she gazed out into Yue Bay. Waves reached their peaks before leveling out and crashing against the rocks and shores of Air Temple Island.

Once again, her arms were wrapped around her knees. She was lost in the watching the calming waves that reminded her of the South when a piece of clothing with a familiar smell was draped over her shoulders.

Asami’s jacket. She wasn’t really mad that she gave him her jacket earlier, but now she was thankful for the small piece of her not victim to Tokuga.

He sat several feet behind her, not wanting to intrude on her moment. Secretly and from afar, he’d heard parts of her conversation with Pema. She made no move to face him, but slipped her arms through the sleeves.

“You…really love her, don’t you?”

“With all my heart,” she sighed, tightening the hold around her knees and burying her face in them. “Asami means everything to me. I love her now, and I’ll love her in all of my future lives. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

He twiddled his fingers and bit his lip, deciding if he wanted to speak further. “I’m sorry I bit you and spit in your eye and almost hit you with a water whip. You…reminded me of my father. Asami’s eyes reminded me of my mom’s, but they’re a few shades lighter than hers and Midori’s.”

That caught Korra’s attention. She rotated in her spot to find him with his arms wrapped around his knees too. “Why are you telling me this?”

He sighed sadly, looking off to the side. “They had a tricky relationship. I think she loved him, but I don’t remember him ever showing compassion for her except for one instance. Nothing compared to what I’ve seen Pema and the bald man share and especially nothing compared to what I’ve witnessed between you two.”

Young, burdened eyes reflected against experienced, troubled eyes. “You’re genuinely worried and broken up over her. He abandoned her when she got sick with two small children. I know it doesn’t mean much from me, but people who can’t see the love and loyalty between the two of you are fools. Why does it matter how you two came to be a couple? Why does it matter that you’re two women? Why does it matter that you’re the Avatar and she’s a CEO? You both have each other’s back in your lowest moments. Neither of you would ever turn your back on each other when… _shit happens in life_. I didn’t exactly understand what Asami told me, but now I do. I’ve witnessed it first-hand through you two.”

The passion, the fire in his eyes as he spoke moved Korra to tears. He hadn’t heard what Raiko spewed at her. She’d heard some of the whispers and murmurs on the streets against their relationship. She felt the glowers against their backs. She tried ignoring them, but sometimes they were more profound. But in this vulnerable moment, the little boy who tried attacking her the previous week was doing his best to cheer her up.

She stretched her legs out and held out her arms for him. He hesitated until she cocked her head at him, motioning with her hands to accept her offering. He scooted over cautiously like she’d burn him. As soon as her strong arms were wrapped around his small frame, Korra felt him releasing his own worries. She wondered how long it'd been since he'd willingly let an adult hug him.

“Thank you. That means more than you could image,” Korra murmured into his ear. “I promise you’ll be reunited with Midori soon, Hisakata.”

“Thank you, Avatar Korra,” he choked out, closing his eyes and digging his head further into her side.

The two waterbenders held each other, lost in their own emotional battles. They had found temporary comfort in one another in the gazebo as waves beat and brushed against Air Temple Island in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a pretty rough day for everyone. Anyone catch the Macbeth reference? 
> 
> The next chapter - hell the second half - of this story may not be what some of y'all are expecting. Hint - the next chapter was not originally planned, but was going to be phased over. However, it does fit in with some previous themes (?) or occurrences. Any theories or thoughts?
> 
> End of Part II: Wounds (Chapter 7-12)
> 
> Tumblr: mysky27


	13. Fact, Fiction, and Fantasy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted: March 4, 2021 12:55PM EST
> 
> Start of Part III - Discovery (Chapters 13-?)

_“Fiction and nonfiction are not so easily divided. Fiction may not be real, but it's true; it goes beyond the garland of facts to get to emotional and psychological truths.”_

_―Yann Martel_

* * *

Groaning, Asami awoke with hazy vision. Rubbing the blurriness from her eyes, she was welcomed with a gorgeous blue sky above that reminded her of Korra’s eyes. Heat wrapped around her body like a much-needed blanket on a cold winter’s evening, but the scene around her was anything but that.

For a few precious moments, she blinked slowly at the sky, basking in the lush grassy field that kissed her body and tickled her fingers. She sat up slowly, rubbed her forehead and brushed her hair back. In the distance, a town awaited her, humming with activity.

Where was she?

Where were the others?

A shadow casted over the grassy area where Asami laid. The all too familiar sound and sight of an airship preparing to land urged her to vacate her spot. She narrowly avoided being nicked in the back by the ramp extending out.

A young child dashed past her, giggling with her hands in the air. The child stopped a few feet away from Asami, but her face was fuzzy.

“Young lady, get back here!” a frantic woman with a distorted voice called out, running to catch up to her child. Like the child, her face was fuzzy too. Hoisting the child up onto her hip, she began scolding the child. “You can’t run off like that! You’ve never been here before.”

The woman turned ever so slightly and that was the key. Everything began clear as day. Asami swallowed, heart racing in her chest as a single word escaped her. “Mom?” 

Yasuko didn’t respond, but kept scolding her troublesome toddler, her voice now as Asami remembered it. She reached out to touch them, but an invisible barrier around them thwarted that.

“Sweetheart, we’ve just touched ground and you’re already giving your mom a hard time?”

There Hiroshi stood in the airship with shiny black hair – not a single gray hair in place or a pair of spectacles on his beaming face. He nonchalantly walked off the ramp with his hands in his pockets and joined his family.

“Dad?” she whispered, trying again to break the barrier around them, but it was futile. She couldn’t touch them.

They were saying something, but Asami couldn’t hear it. They began walking into town without so much as a glance at Asami.

She looked down at her hands like they held all the answers. She threaded her fingers together and felt them, but couldn’t register anything beyond that. She couldn’t tell if they were cold or hot, soft or rough. Why wasn’t she visible to them?

The toddler squealed on the edge of town. Asami didn’t know what to make of everything around her. Standing in the grassy field wasn’t going to help. She chased after them until she came up to her mother’s side, listening to their once again audible conversation as they walked into the town.

“Mama, you used to live here?” she asked, fascinated by how different it was from Republic City.

“Sure did, sweetie,” Yasuko replied, blowing a kiss on her cheek earning a giggle from her. “But your father swept me off my feet. Sanmyaku was a chapter of my life that has since been read. The chapter I’m reading right now is watching you grow up into a wonderful woman, but it’s nice to revisit Sanmyaku’s chapter every now and then.”

“Don’t be so modest. You’re the one who swept me off my feet with one look in my direction with your lovely honey eyes,” Hiroshi laughed, holding onto his relatively flat stomach. The sound of his deep laugh evoked old memories from Asami, hitting her right in the heart. It sounded just like she remembered. She hadn’t heard it in years.

Yasuko rolled her eyes jokingly and turned her attention back to her curious daughter’s green eyes. “Pay no attention to him. He needs a nice soak in Heiwa Springs. Besides the few friends that stayed in Sanmyaku, it’s the one thing I miss most about here. I think it’s why your father built that pool and sauna in the estate.”

“What’s the story about Heiwa Springs again, Yasi?” Asami gasped. She had forgotten that pet name he had for her. She hadn’t heard it in nearly two decades, choking her up even more.

“Heiwa Springs brings peace and harmony to those who soak in its waters. The myths say that long ago, spirits blessed the spring water with special properties. They even say that if your mind is radically dissonant and puts Heiwa Springs at risk of corruption, Mt. Gaoda will unleash its fury and make your life a living hell until you leave. Healers have analyzed the water over the years. Individual after individual has ventured onto Mt. Gaoda and some have experienced unnatural, even almost hellish events. However, there’s been no conclusive evidence supporting those myths.”

“You said bad words, Ma!” she shrieked, pointing a chubby finger at her. “Do I get a yuan?”

Before Yasuko could respond, Hiroshi pulled out his wallet and a crisp bill. “How about a hundred?” he countered, slipping it into his daughter’s excited hands.

“Hiroshi! I‘ve told you a million times not to spoil her!”

“Relax, honey. We can spoil her a little this weekend,” he remarked, gazing lovingly at his wife’s displeased look and his joyous daughter looking like he just gave her the entire world. “I don’t get nearly enough time to put work aside for my two favorite girls. Consider it her allowance to buy whatever she wants for the weekend. This is her first time visiting your hometown after all.”

Yasuko shook her head and bounced her child further up on her hip. “I know you, Hiroshi. You’re going to let her get a lot more than a hundred yuans worth of stuff if she wants. You’re lucky I love you.”

“And I’m the luckiest man in the world to have the most humble, beautiful woman by my side.”

“You’re such a sap,” she laughed lightly with a twinkle in her eye. “But you’re the only sap I’d ever want to love and have this perfect daughter with.” One hand caressed his cheek, gazing into the maroon eyes that revealed how much Hiroshi Sato loved her and their daughter. It was much too hard to resist leaning up and capturing her lips in his for a sweet kiss.

“Ooo, Mommy’s kissing Daddy in the streets!”

Asami blinked and suddenly, Sanmyaku was empty, leaving only Asami and the buildings. She reached out to where they just were, not ready for them to leave yet even if it wasn’t real. They vanished without a trace just like the invisible barrier.

Storm clouds rolled in. Torrential downpour soaked her clothes and bones, but she wasn’t cold. Asami was just there.

Angry thunder boomed and shook the ground she stood on. Looking towards the dark skies, a flash of lightning brightened the scene around her, racing across the skies. The chaos was accompanied by high-pitched giggles and her parents’ laughter in the dark skies.

She stepped forward, trying to make sense of what was happening, but was met with an invisible barrier once more. The impact with the barrier seemed to trigger a chain reaction. Out of nowhere, a water bullet struck her off a perilous cliff and into the turbulent ocean.

She yelled and shouted, not suffocating from water inhalation into her lungs. She couldn’t right herself in the murky waters, a force sinking her head first deeper and deeper into the abyss.

* * *

_“Twenty-three-year-old female partially chi-blocked with severe lacerations along her right side, right hand, and right shoulder. Burns on her left hand, right side, and neck. Bruised ribs and lung on the right side. Copious amounts of blood loss, will require a blood transfusion.”_

Asami groaned again on her back. Unlike her previous awakening, this awakening was because of a shrill, familiar doorbell and a blinding white light. Instead of being welcomed by the beautiful sky, she was welcomed with her bedroom just as she remembered it.

She leaned up on her elbows, but a sharp pain crippled her. She collapsed on the ground and curled into a ball, trembling. Sticky, hot blood was pooling underneath her and coating her body. It felt like millions of tiny needles were penetrating her skin.

_“Prepare the blood transfusion. Thank the spirits we have enough of her blood type on hand. Why is it the critically injured that always end up being rare blood types?”_

Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. Bloody hands shot up to her neck, trying to dislodge whatever was in her throat. Sweat began beating on her forehead and felt like she was going to combust on the spot.

But with a simple blink, the pain disappeared and waves of comfort washed over her.

She was no longer covered or laying in blood. She was no longer desperate for air. She was no longer fighting for her life.

Every limb, every muscle was under her control again. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, desperate to break out of her chest. Her body wasn’t in danger anymore, but the lingering psychological consequences thought that it was.

Looking down at herself, a blue glow with a hint of gold now radiated off her body.

_“Patient is stable, stitched up, and ready to be moved to recovery. That was quite a messy one. Had she lost more blood, I believe we would have been dealing with a comatose patient. Chi-blocking, a doctor and healer’s worst nightmare in situations like these.”_

She couldn’t feel anything before, but now she felt everything, all senses amplified.

The estate’s halls were as she remembered until she reached the staircase. Asami cringed back and clutched her chest again. Not because of pain, but because of shock.

Before her hung a photo similar to the one Hiroshi had kept on his person at all times, but much larger covering a portion of the wall. Frozen in time was both her parents middle aged and Asami as a young adult, hanging proudly and visible to anyone who entered the Sato estate or even stood in the grand entranceway.

Familiar voices in the dining room drew her attention away from the portrait. There was no need to creep around her own as none of the housekeepers she passed acknowledged her, but she tiptoed to the dining room and peeked inside.

Slowly, Asami approached the occupied table. Her parents sat on one side, alive and well. On the other side sat Korra and another version of herself, perhaps in their late twenties. No one paid attention to her, but she watched how _natural_ everything appeared to be between them. She arched an eyebrow when Korra reached over for blubbered seal jerky that did not belong with the sophisticated dishes.

“I do hope all this didn’t involve destroying more Satomobiles, Korra? Or did you happen to crash another police vehicle into a building?” Hiroshi asked with a judgmental eyebrow, but the smirk on his lips said otherwise.

“That was one time, Hiroshi!” Korra laughed, leaning her elbows on the table. A cock of her girlfriend’s eyebrow and a frown had Korra leaning back in her seat. “Okay, maybe twice.” Her girlfriend crossed her arms over her chest and straightened up in her seat. “Fine, I’ve destroyed a handful of Sato vehicles! Happy now, ‘Sami?” Hiroshi and Yasuko laughed on the other side of the table. The real Asami couldn’t stop her own laughter. Even in her dreams, Korra couldn’t drive.

“Baby girl, that’s not a good look for you. Your face is going to freeze,” Hiroshi warned and flicked his wrist. “Besides, the more vehicles Korra destroys, the more business we get.”

“Hiroshi, we do not speak about business at dinner,” Yasuko scolded and the original disapproving Sato face made an appearance.

“Now see here, this is where Asami gets it from, Korra.” He pointed at Yasuko He leaned towards Korra and blocked the left side of his face like it was going to prevent the Sato women from hearing him. “I call it the resting Sato Scowl.” Mother and daughter shot the patriarch their appropriately named Sato Scowls to which he leaned back in his chair, grabbed his stomach and chuckled lowly. “She got my brains and all her mama’s looks and facial expressions. On a more serious note, I should give you more driving lessons. My daughter must be too soft and distracting for you.”

“Dad!” she whined, face flushing red at what her father was insinuating.

“I’m just kidding, sweetheart,” he laughed again. “However, considering how many times she has crashed or nearly hit someone, I really should give her more advanced lessons. I don’t want to receive a call from you one day a blubbering mess because Korra rammed her vehicle into a brick wall and suffered severe head trauma. Of all the ways the Avatar could go.”

“Hiroshi!” Yasuko gasped, grabbing his shoulder. “We don’t speak about that kind of thing over dinner either! Where has your filter gone?”

“We’re old now, Yasi. I have a right to speak my mind. It’s time for the next generation – you two – to hop into the driver’s seat and steer the world on the right path.”

“Dad, you’re not that old.”

“Oh, but I am, Asami,” he sighed with a tired smile. He vacated his seat and crouched down next to his daughter and reached up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “Your mother and I have witnessed your transformation from this teetering toddler falling down the stairs to the strong woman you are today. In a few years’ time, you’re going to be CEO of Future Industries. And someday, your mother and I won’t be here for you.”

“Dad-“

“That won’t be for a long time though, Asami.” Oh, how Asami wished that were true. Hiroshi took her dream self’s hands in his, resting them on her thighs. “You and Korra are going to be one of the most – if not _most_ – powerful couples in the world. I will be one of the luckiest bastards in the world to call both of you my daughters. I know you two will always be there for each other. With the power you two have, you’ll be prime targets. I’ve faced my share of adversity, but it will be no match to what you will be subjected too.”

Asami attempted to place a hand on her dad’s shoulder, expecting an invisible force again, but her hand went through him. She nearly fell on top of him, shocked at the missing resistance. He carried on like nothing happened.

“Take some advice from your old man. Through all the adversity, all the late nights, all the blood, sweat, and tears, at the end of the day, all that really matters is who you come home to. If it wasn’t for your mother and you, I wouldn’t be the man I am today. Future Industries wouldn’t mean a damn thing to me. I have had to fight my whole life. When I was young, it was a fight to survive. Now, it’s a fight to make my daughter and wife proud of me every single day. If I can’t do that, I have failed in life.”

“Dad, I will always be proud of you,” she cried, pulling him in for a hug. “I love you.”

Asami tried to touch him again, wanting to touch her father one last time, but he was a ghost. This version of Hiroshi did not exist.

_“Goodbye, Asami. I love you.”_

The scene around her faded away and melted into a storm of beautiful colors, mixing and swirling together.

* * *

_“Her body has been through a lot the last several hours. Nothing is permanent and the chi-blocking has worn off, but we do not expect for her to wake until tomorrow at the very earliest. In the meantime, we’ll monitor her and provide healing sessions with the highest quality water we have.”_

At the foot of her bed, she swiped a few bittersweet tears from her eyes. Instead of deep red and black accents and the sophistication of a young woman’s bedroom, her room was filled with children’s toys, tools, gadgets, books, and bright reds, purples, and pinks.

A shimmer from the bay window caught her attention. She sidestepped all the toys and gadgets scattered on her floors. She couldn’t help but wonder why her parents hadn’t yelled at her for such a messy room.

She leaned on the bench to find nothing out of the ordinary outside. Clear skies reigned overhead. Doves flew past and perched themselves on trees. Turtle ducks waded in the pond. A perfect day was beyond the window yet she was inside the estate, protected, but maybe she was trapped.

_“Bolin said you have it all when you truly don’t. You’ve lost your mom, your dad, and if you’ll have me, constantly worry about whether I return home safely or not for the rest of our lives…I’m sorry you can’t live a normal life with me…I never wanted any of this to happen…I finally understand the pain you went through when you helped me all those years ago.”_

“Took you long enough to get here. How’s the future and life?”

Asami jumped at the voice from behind. There on the edge of her pink bed sat a manifestation of herself as a six-year-old child. Big, innocent eyes bore into her baffled, knowledgeable eyes. Young Asami was dressed in a cute red dress and a grey jacket with her hair pulled back into a ponytail with a red ribbon. She playfully kicked her feet back and forth against the side of the bed and leaned back on her hands, smiling.

“You can see me?” Asami asked, cutting the distance between them in half.

She tilted her head, confused. “Why wouldn’t I be able to see me?”

“No one else has seen me,” Asami whispered like it was a secret. “We’re the same person at two different points in time.”

“I think that’s a you problem,” she stated matter of fact. She hopped off the bed and skipped over to where Asami stood and waved her back over to the bench. On her knees, she leaned her palms on the center glass pane, gazing out into the world. “Daddy’s a genius, but he can’t invent time travel. I’ll ask again, how’s the future and life?”

“I don’t remember being this much of a smartass when I was a kid,” Asami muttered to herself. For some reason, the thought of trying to touch this version of herself escaped her. “You’re not even paying attention to me.”

“I’m listening, I swear!” she wailed, but still didn’t bother to turn around. Instead, she opened both side bay windows halfway. “I wanna know everything about the future. Tell me a story like Mom.”

Asami crossed her arms and laughed under her breath. “How much time do you have? We’d be here all day if I did that.”

Young Asami hummed as a cool breeze entered the room. “Do you have any regrets in your life then?”

Asami contemplated the question, but already knew the answer. “There are events I wish would’ve turned out differently, but I wouldn’t change a single thing because I’m a point in my life that I could never give up. It’s me against the world. Life’s full of regrets, mistakes, but it’s learning to live with those regrets, mistakes and focusing on what makes you smile, what you have achieved in life to progress the world and yourself towards balance and prosperity.”

Young Asami finally turned to face her. Her eyebrows raised, she asked, “You’re happy?”

She remembered the publicity, the tears, the corrupted innocence when her mother died and when she discovered her father’s significant involvement with the Equalists.

She remembered returning home much too late after a bad day at work. She broke down finding a letter from her father instead of her, flipping a table and raiding the liquor cabinet.

She remembered seeing her with her own eyes for the first time in three years. Their hug, her blush. It was the happiest she’d felt in years.

She remembered watching her father die, the burning in her lungs trying to find her friends, find _her_ , only to be greeted by that ominous cloud and a loud bang.

She remembered their first kiss in the spirit world and then declaring their love for one another. For the first time in a long time, she felt whole, complete.

If the world was going to hell, so long as Korra was with her, everything else was just background noise.

“Yes,” she responded easily with a smile. “Are you happy right now?”

“Yeah, Mom and Dad are taking me to the zoo today.”

The last time the zoo morphed into a nightmare, but Asami hoped it wouldn’t this time. “It sounds like a great day. Dad doesn’t get enough time off of work so enjoy this time while you can. He cherishes every moment he gets with you.” She didn’t have the heart to tell her how the future would unfold.

“Sweetie, come on! Your father has the car all warmed up and you know how he gets. I love that man, but deprive his other baby from its efficiency and life, he goes wolf bat shit crazy,” Yasuko called from the hallway.

“I think it’s time for you to wake up and get back to reality where things make sense.” She scooted off the bench and frolicked away. In the doorway, she leaned a hand against the frame and turned back to Asami, smiling a smile that lacked a top tooth. “You know, I’m a younger version of you, but I know everything that happens in the future and I _feel_ everything. All the pain, sorrow, heartbreak. All the pride, hope, love. Mom’s gone. Dad’s gone. While they’re gone, others have come to fill the void and become family. Mako, Bolin, Opal, the airbenders, and most importantly, Korra. I can’t believe I get the freaking Avatar.”

Asami tried to step closer to her, but she kicked a little toolbox. That little action cemented her feet to the floor by an invisible force. She reached out, but then lowered her hand, seeing there was no point in trying and failing again to touch her past self. Maybe her mind was trying to tell her something.

“Then why did you ask? Of all the things you could’ve asked, that’s what you asked?”

A warm, yellow ray of sunlight swept across her face from the bay window. “For you to better understand _yourself_. You’ve spent over five years in a life you never could’ve imagined when you were me. Six and eighteen, your life changed forever. Like you said, you wouldn’t change a thing because you could never give up what you have now – Korra. All the emotions, all the endeavors to this moment have led you to Korra. Let the cards rest where they may, but you can’t stop there. Keep moving forward. Like Mom said, one chapter ends, another begins. You can revisit the previous chapter for reference and guidance, but you can’t remain in the past or even change the past when the future awaits you and is yet to be written. It’s up to you to steer that future in the direction _you_ want it to take.”

“Was that dream an old memory?” she asked, wondering if an old memory somehow resurfaced during her distress. “Why have I only been able to talk to you? Why can’t I touch anyone?”

She shrugged. “It’s your mind. You figure it out. I can’t give you all the answers or guidance you need in life, but if you look within yourself, you already know the answers.”

“Asami, there you are. Come on.” Yasuko grasped Young Asami’s hand, but Young Asami hesitated for the slightest of moments, taking in Asami one last time.

“She’s waiting for you,” she whispered, fading away with an optimistic smile as a gentle, warm breeze brushed across Asami’s body.

Left all alone in her childhood setting, Asami whispered, “Don’t grow up too fast.”

* * *

Green eyes revealed themselves to the world. She saw the ceiling first, but soon found a sparsely decorated hospital room that was in need of updating. Sunlight filtered into the room at an angle she assumed signaled early or mid-morning.

Thumping pain throbbed in her entire body, reminding her why she here.

The pain was here and it wasn’t leaving as quickly as it came. Compared to what she remembered from before, it wasn’t nearly as bad, but it continuously throbbed like a little heartbeat. As inappropriate as it may have been, she smiled a little. It meant she was alive, and as soon as she recovered from this pain with a few healing sessions, ready to do it all again for Korra.

She let out a relived sighed and fixed her sights on the mop of familiar brown hair resting by her thighs on her right side. Her face was smashed into the mattress and snoring lightly. She was practically falling out of her metal chair by her bedside, back contorted in a way that was in no way comfortable. She wore her Future Industries jacket and had a water skin strapped to her back.

Asami ran her fingers through her hair, hoping to wake her up. She wasn’t sure the extent of the damage hidden from sight, but the slight movement of her fingers tugged uncomfortably at her wound.

Korra released a little groan and sleepily opened her eyes. It took her a moment, but the sight of the lazy smile on Asami’s lips and her fingers running through her hair woke her up completely.

“You’re awake!” She leapt out of her seat so fast it crashed into the ground. She claimed Asami’s lips, needing to feel her heat and life. For hours, she worried about when she’d wake up, how she’d feel. Tears dripped off the Avatar’s cheeks and onto the fair cheeks. When air became a necessity, she leaned her cheek against hers, not ready to pull away and just feeling the warmth, the life in her from the cheek and wet tears from both of them.

Asami remained quiet as her tears mixed with Korra. She let Korra release everything that was pent up inside of her and eating her alive. Pushing past the stiffness and aches in her hands, she threaded her bandaged hands through her choppy hair.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, baby,” she whispered into her ear despite the dryness of her throat, kissing the side of her head. The tenor of her voice sent another shudder through Korra’s body. “I knew you’d take good care of me. I’ve got you. _Always_.”

After another moment of recomposing herself, Korra leaned back and cupped Asami’s face in her hands. She took a hard, long look at her. Had things went terribly wrong, she never would’ve had the honor and privilege to gaze into those caring green eyes she loved so much. But then her gaze lowered several inches to the white bandages wrapped around her neck.

She never would’ve been able to forgive herself.

“How’re you feeling?” Her voice cracked at the end.

“All things considered, not too bad.” The smile she sent towards Korra and the attempt at lightening the mood did not to appease her. “Where are the others? How long was I out?” 

“Asami, you need to take it easy.” As much as Korra admired her persistence, the vivid images of her laying on the filthy floor in a pool of blood haunted her. For once, Korra just wanted Asami to be concerned about herself. “You’ve been out since yesterday. No news on the others, but my sole focus is _you_ for now.”

And just like Asami last week, there was no room for budging. Asami saw that. She tried to sit up, but immediately regretted that decision as a shot of pain ran through her. The low hiss she released sent Korra into a tailspin. 

“What hurts?” 

“Right side.” Korra tenderly bunched up Asami’s shirt to just under her breasts to reveal the long line of stitches and angry skin. “Wait, stitches? I didn’t think it was that bad. I remember you were healing me.” 

Korra looked up at her. “He chi blocked you. I was able to keep you stable on the way here, but not heal all the damage straight away or keep the blood loss to a minimum.”

There was a foreboding pause in the room, bouncing the pain that was profound in Korra’s tone against the walls surrounding them.

“What’s the damage?” 

Korra clenched her eyes shut in shame and turned her head the other way, willing the images to leave, willing the diagnosis away. She couldn’t look her in the eye when she repeated what she’d been told.

“You needed a blood transfusion. Heavily bruised ribs and right lung. Burnt left hand. Since the chi blocking hadn’t worn off enough by the time we arrived, you needed _eighty-nine_ stitches between your right shoulder, right side, and right hand. Muscle, tendons, some potentially temporary nerve damage. Your neck looks a lot better than yesterday, but it’s not a pretty sight and if you end up with a scar…” she choked out, throat constricting and biting her lip. “There was so much blood. When I felt your chi paths blocked, I felt powerless and thought I’d lose you. Asami, I’m so, so sorry.”

Finally, she turned to Asami, big blue eyes glassed over with tears and shame looking into those green eyes. The Avatar’s eyes held nothing back. She needed something to fixate on.

She opened the water skin around her back and covered the line of stitches, working diligently to soothe the pain and heal the wound by controlling Asami’s once again flowing chi. The stitches would dissolve after a few healing sessions, but the severity of her wounds and other injuries in addition to the strong pulses of electricity shooting through and inside of her, it would require some time for Asami to completely regain her strength.

And Korra knew it was all her fault.

“Korra, look at me,” Asami ordered softly. She continued healing her while locking eyes with her. Asami reached up with her right hand and traced her cheek. “I trust you with my life. We have each other’s backs no matter what, remember? Ask me what was going through my head during the whole face off.” 

“Asami…” She hoped that she didn’t hate and despise her, decide that she wasn’t worth it. That was one of her worst fears. Her worst fear now was Asami dying because of her. If she died, so be it, she was the Avatar and there was a high potential she could one day die in combat. Asami, however, should have never danced with that destiny.

“Korra.” Out came the tone of the cutthroat CEO of Future Industries, not the kind, lovable Asami.

Korra tried to divert her gaze back to the stitches, but Asami wouldn’t allow it. Korra surrendered to the power that she had over her and asked, “What was going through your mind?”

“That there wouldn’t be anywhere else I’d rather be in the whole world. I _live_ to fight with you and be part of your team. I love you, Korra. I’ll accept all the elements being thrown towards me and run towards them so long as I have the honor to be by your side.”

Korra choked down a sob and forced the words through her lips. “Asami, I’m the one who should be honored to be by your side. You’re the CEO of Future Industries, an incredible engineer, my best friend, the love of my life. Most importantly, you’re my partner in crime, my equal in life.” She paused, taking in the glowing water beneath them and casting a light blue luminosity on them. “The Avatar has all the power in the world, but without you, it means absolutely nothing to me.”

From the look in her eyes, the sentiment in her voice, Asami fell more in love with her if it was even possible. “I’m Asami. You’re Korra. Words will never be satisfactory for my love for you. For the rest of our lifetime together, we’re partners in crime, side by side, keeping balance and peace in the world. Together.”

They sealed their proclamations with a deep kiss, the blue glow of the healing water reflecting off their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, Korra and Hisakata were supposed to have their moment and time skip to Asami waking up. I think the real question is, was there any merit to Asami's dreams? Dreams are peculiar. What the hell is going to happen next chapter? 
> 
> Tumblr: mysky27

**Author's Note:**

> Part I: Accumulations (Chapters 1-6)  
> Part II: Wounds (Chapters 7-12)  
> Part III: Discovery (Chapters 13-?)


End file.
